Disney World 2025 Planning Part 12

May 1, 2025
H minus 17 Days
In the continuing plague of stuff that keeps happening before our trip: Rosa is OK, with muscle soreness and stiffness, but her car was totaled yesterday. She stopped at a stop sign, looked both ways to see it was clear, and a little Honda SUV came out of nowhere fast enough to push her giant 2003 Mountaineer sideways about 90 feet. It's been a stressful couple of days. We all really need this break.
This is made particularly clear when any of us thinks the hardship another of us is under means we should consider cancelling, and that person always replies: “Do not take this away from me.”
(Except for me at times of maximum stress where I simply state, “We are *&%$ing going!” Even when I don’t fully believe it.)
 
Anabelle decided to watch the few remaining Disney films in chronological order (skipping Big Hero Six of course since that has Honey Lemon and is for her Chemistry graduation day.) This sadly meant hitting Home on the Range and Chicken Little in order. She did make it all the way through the cow film, beating my endurance. However, she actively has loathed Chicken Little for years and still preferred it to Home on the Range. She did point out how she hated nearly every character (except the title one) in Chicken Little. This was especially true for his Dad. Finding out Adam West had an appearance was traumatizing. (She likes him a lot, but felt this film was beneath him.)
 
This morning, she got a much deserved uptick in quality with Bolt. Her favorite is still Mittens. My favorite, she still finds a little annoying.
“LET IT BEGIN!!!!” Someday I will remember to say this when we first enter Disney World.
(Foreshadowing- Maybe next time.)
 
The Disney World Website lists all night shows, Cavalcades and Parades for our trip. The only one missing from The Grid was “Wonderful World of Animation” which we will likely skip in MGM just like Fantasmic which runs simultaneously. 

(Foreshadowing- Yes, we skipped both.)
 
 
May 2, 2025
H minus 16 Days
Why does the trip seem further away the closer it gets. I don’t think I’ve ever been this convinced a Disney trip would get cancelled, which sucks considering how excited I was over the surprise.
 
Anabelle watched the later Winnie the Pooh film last night. She’s on the set that, except for Bolt (and that’s probably only us) was the true Disney Dark Time.

(Foreshadowing- Not really, she just watched the good ones earlier in the run.)

She did think Christopher Robin was precious. Anabelle had no memory of the film itself but does have “An enormous cloud of Winnie the Pooh themed rage in my memories circa 2011, so this explains that.” She also commented: “It’s so weird because they were cranking out top tier Pooh content for ages, and then they were like ‘Hmmm, let’s make a stinker this time.’” I added, “And give it a theatrical release.”
 
Me- Slight Grid Change- the Friday we’re planning on hopping from Animal Kingdom to Magic Kingdom, both parks are open an hour later. AK closes at 7PM, MK closes at 11PM.
Anabelle- Omg lit
Me- I should just type that into the planning post every time I tell you something.
Anabelle- Shut up lmao I’m busy, it’s an easy, quick response.
Dearest Father,
I hope this finds you well. Thank you for entrusting us with this Grid knowledge. I will apply the changes to my calendar expeditiously so that I am up to date on the new findings. I trust that you are as excited about the extra hour of park time as I am.
Best,
Anabelle F. McGinley
Villanova University ‘25
is that better ?
Me- Plbbbbbth!
Rosa- 😂😂😂
 
 
May 3, 2025
H minus 15 Days
Disney emails more reminders of stuff we did. It’s nice they care.
 
Me- Communicore Hall is closing to make a Goofy hosted dance party for the summer. Doesn’t affect us except the Flower and Garden “Farmers Feast Menu” moves outside to join up with the Florida Fresh Menu in the Communicore Plaza. Character spot will remain open and the Encanto show is already in the Plaza.
Rosa- Gotcha
Anabelle- Isn’t that where spike the bee is 😔
Me- So, he’ll be outside. The booth is moving.
Don’t know. The character spot is in there and still open. I will dig more later.
Anabelle- Ok
Me- *not all that much later “Spike the bee topiary moving” - Google Search*
There appears to be many.
Anabelle- There’s a lot of mini Spikes but they’re not topiaries.
Me- The topiary will “likely be moved or removed” unofficial sites though.  
I’d guess they’ll move it. He’s kind of important.

The whole food booth is moving so maybe the garden is too. 

(Foreshadowing- Alas.)
 
Good news- Dinosaur wait times, which spiked for spring break, went back to being short!
 
Put my NEW Pirate hat in the same style as my old beat up one that Anabelle found, (documented in the “Y Minus” countdown because of the “Dad remains clueless” aspect of the initial sections planning this trip) pirate belt buckle and Sleepy Hollow shirt on top of the suitcase to prep for the first day.
 
 
May 4, 2025
H minus 14 Days
Rosa decided we’d watch a Disney Film last night and asked me to pick. Then I listed about half a dozen, to which she said, “No.” She browsed and realized we didn’t watch Moana 2 yet and chose that one. We work well together. It was a good one. There is an interesting shift now that everything is CGI. In hand drawn animation, the budget drop for a sequel is really obvious in the down grading of the visuals. For CGI films, they still look good, but the movement looks more video game like.
 
Anabelle reached watching Zootpia today. She called the Godfather portion “peak cinema,” reminisced about meeting Nick in California Adventure, then remembered a sequel is coming and got excited all over again.

(Foreshadowing- Rightly so, Zootopia 2 was awesome!)
 
While Rosa had lunch with a friend, Anabelle and I had a phone call about Lightning Lanes. (As well as other scheming.) We only need two, her and I on the Mine Train, and Rosa and I on Rise of the Resistance (Muppetvision and the Goofy Spawn meeting are right next to the StarWarsLand entrance. Anabelle is set.)

(Foreshadowing- This conversation was no different to previous discussions of Lightning Lanes, we just like talking about Disney World.)
 
I pointed out that it is remarkable how long the planning write up is since we started so late. But as Anabelle pointed out about herself- “I never shut up.” *concerned pause* “You’re going to put that in the write up, aren’t you.” 

(Foreshadowing- Indeed.)
 
 
May 5, 2025
H minus 13 Days
Anabelle went for the “live action” Pinocchio last night. Breaking into “Defying Gravity” when Cynthia Erivo showed up as The Blue Fairy was part of the show. She decided they made the film for her, and Pinocchio not turning into a real boy at the end, and them deciding not to explain the anthropomorphic cat and fox at all, made it “peak cinema.” The random seagull and Lampwick’s horrendous New York accent were bonuses.
Naturally, we both referenced the Rankin Bass Pinocchio’s Christmas.
 
Weather reports are visible! I will start updating that new section of The Grid on a daily basis. Because I have no self-control when it comes to Gridding.
(Foreshadowing- This is true, but I still won’t be doing the weather thing again.)
 
The Coaxium Sipper for the blue milk lights up. I may need that one. 

(Foreshadowing- I did not need that one.) 

Also, the Jawa is adorable, and apparently $10 cheaper in Florida. Go us. 

(Foreshadowing- It WAS adorable, and I did need that one.)
 
Did some end of the day, wait time checks for comparison to the first (Sunday) night. All the dark rides were pretty much a walk on. Even Peter Pan and Winnie the Pooh were only twenty minutes. Good deal.
 
I was curious to see what the online check in selection options were, but less than two weeks out and it still doesn’t load. No need for it to, as even without celebrations and injuries, we go to the desk anyway.

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