Makin' Memories... A PTR for a 2022 Thanksgiving Trip. (hopefully)

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Happy Saturday Everyone!!!

I have hit the 180 Day Mark! I know I said this before but it is strange to not have to be booking dinning today. But also kind of nice. It is exciting a little, like I feel like this is a "regular" amount of time to be waiting for our trip! Does that make sense? Plus things are going to start getting busy, school start in September for us here. And once that starts the end of the year just flies by. Everything just run together, school, halloween, thanksgivng, christmas... and then BAM vacation time!!!
.

I was going to pretend like I needed to pick my restaurants today but I have to be honest. Every time I start to think about planning something, I get nervous that this trip won't happen. This delta variant is really worrisome. I try to be realistic about this whole situation, I just hope things can settle down between then and now. (And we can get Gwen vaccinated)

But I am going to try and force myself to look at the schedule and stuff today. As I need a little break from everything!

So, for better or worse, I do think we might be leaning towards a staycation summer 2022 trip in place of Hawaii. Which if that is the case, that does allow me to spread out some of our dinning options! So, this is what I want to talk about a bit...

And the question... where to stay?

We talked about doing a split stay at the Poly and Yacht Club. And I do think a split stay would be good for that trip, as we are looking to do no parks. Here are my thoughts on the matter at the moment:

Poly - Girls love the Volcano pool and we love the feel of the whole resort. I would assume all of the construction would be done by then? Maybe I could FINALLY get into Trader Sam's... I am on the fence about Ohana with the new menu. But if we were staying there, it would be easy to give it a try.

Yacht Club - This is always our favorite. And makes sense with Stormalong Bay. But it might be nice to try somewhere else? But we could def spend a couple days at this pool. And we could move the cabana day to this trip.

Animal Kingdom Lodge - This would be the perfect time to try here. Not going to parks, we wouldn't have to worry about how far away it is from anything. But is the pool "fun" enough for a pool day? It would be a good way to really enjoy the views of the animals... And we could just eat at ALL of the restaurants there. I would probably want to do all of them.

Beach Club - We could stay here, to make it slightly different than Yacht Club? Or is that just cheating? I do personally see the two as almost being one resort. One just is closer to EPCOT, which if we don't do parks, that really doesn't matter.

What do you guys think? Is there another resort that you think would be good for no park days?

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

I try to be realistic about this whole situation, I just hope things can settle down between then and now. (And we can get Gwen vaccinated)

I feel this SO MUCH. Pfizer is hoping to have data to submit for the 5-11 EUA in "late summer" which probably means mid September submission, maybe early- to mid-October approval. The sooner they can get this thing moving, the more likely we can have a normal-ish fall and winter. I don't want another Covid Halloween-Birthday-Thanksgiving-Christmas season for the girls!

What do you guys think? Is there another resort that you think would be good for no park days?

I think Poly is a great option here, because you can bop between any of the monorail resorts for meals. Crescent Lake is lovely, but I think there's more non-park fun to be had around Bay Lake. I agree, if there were ever a time to try AK, this would be it, too.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I feel this SO MUCH. Pfizer is hoping to have data to submit for the 5-11 EUA in "late summer" which probably means mid September submission, maybe early- to mid-October approval. The sooner they can get this thing moving, the more likely we can have a normal-ish fall and winter. I don't want another Covid Halloween-Birthday-Thanksgiving-Christmas season for the girls!

I am glad that there will be masks this fall. Gwen is starting at the middle school where some of the kids will be vaccinated. But obviously not all. Fingers Crossed that it will be in time for your girls birthday! I am kind of in denial that we are circling into yet another school year with the same worries! Gwen said that I need to sign her up the second she can get a shot.

I think Poly is a great option here, because you can bop between any of the monorail resorts for meals. Crescent Lake is lovely, but I think there's more non-park fun to be had around Bay Lake. I agree, if there were ever a time to try AK, this would be it, too.

All 3, I feel like we would get our money by really enjoying the resort. I almost wish there was a "cooler" resort near DIsney Springs. If we do this, I can see us heading there for dinner a hand full of nights.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

I am glad that there will be masks this fall. Gwen is starting at the middle school where some of the kids will be vaccinated. But obviously not all. Fingers Crossed that it will be in time for your girls birthday! I am kind of in denial that we are circling into yet another school year with the same worries! Gwen said that I need to sign her up the second she can get a shot.

Yes, I was relieved when the governor confirmed that the kids would start the year in masks. I'm not sure what our district would have done without the state mandate.

My kids are also VERY ready to be vaccinated. Hubby and I have been volunteering with the health dept and at the megasite, so I have a few folks I'm going to email as soon as Pfizer files to make sure we're at the front of the line!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Hubby and I have been volunteering with the health dept and at the megasite, so I have a few folks I'm going to email as soon as Pfizer files to make sure we're at the front of the line!

Which one were you at? Burlington County? We ended up at the one that was at Rowan. But That would have been the weirdest Dis-Meet yet! Ha.

 

[quandrea]

I am glad that there will be masks this fall. Gwen is starting at the middle school where some of the kids will be vaccinated. But obviously not all. Fingers Crossed that it will be in time for your girls birthday! I am kind of in denial that we are circling into yet another school year with the same worries! Gwen said that I need to sign her up the second she can get a shot.


All 3, I feel like we would get our money by really enjoying the resort. I almost wish there was a "cooler" resort near DIsney Springs. If we do this, I can see us heading there for dinner a hand full of nights.

Don’t discount Saratoga Springs. The pools are awesome (5 of them)!! You can’t beat the walk to Disney Springs. The renovation is just about complete and it’s fabulous. Saratoga is now my favourite resort, especially for a no park trip.

 

[lvcourtneyy]

finally back and caught up.

its crazy how soon 2022 is coming up.

And with that, it’s upsetting how things seem to be taking a turn back for the worse in terms of covid. It’s so hard to know what to expect from one day to the next.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Don’t discount Saratoga Springs. The pools are awesome (5 of them)!! You can’t beat the walk to Disney Springs. The renovation is just about complete and it’s fabulous. Saratoga is now my favourite resort, especially for a no park trip.

I don't know if I have even seen what the pools look like! I will go take a look at them now!

And with that, it’s upsetting how things seem to be taking a turn back for the worse in terms of covid. It’s so hard to know what to expect from one day to the next.

Welcome back! I hope things haven't gotten too bad for you at work yet. NJ seems ok still. But I just hate going back to the whole way of just not knowing if planning something is ok or not. Sigh...

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Which one were you at? Burlington County? We ended up at the one that was at Rowan. But That would have been the weirdest Dis-Meet yet! Ha.

Yes, the Moorestown Mall site, once it opened. At first, when was only medical personnel and emergency responders, that was out of the BurlCo fire training center. That would have been a funny Dis-Meet!

 

[quandrea]

I don't know if I have even seen what the pools look like! I will go take a look at them now!


Welcome back! I hope things haven't gotten too bad for you at work yet. NJ seems ok still. But I just hate going back to the whole way of just not knowing if planning something is ok or not. Sigh...

The main pool—high rock springs is just lovely—huge and close to the quick service and community Hall. The Paddock Pool also has quick service and an amazing slide. Finally, the Grandstand Pool has a great little splash area. Saratoga is big and therefore has wonderful opportunities for really nice walks.

When I’m there, I have a daily routine of walking over to Ghirardelli for chocolate samples—although that’s probably met an ill fate due to Covid.

Anyway, check it out. We were there Feb 2020 last. It’s one of our home resorts and I’m missing it terribly. We have no idea when we’ll be back. Shooting for Feb 2022 but unsure if that trip will happen due to testing requirements here in Canada and just overall case numbers in Florida.

 

[Steppesister]

I was going to pretend like I needed to pick my restaurants today but I have to be honest. Every time I start to think about planning something, I get nervous that this trip won't happen. This delta variant is really worrisome. I try to be realistic about this whole situation, I just hope things can settle down between then and now. (And we can get Gwen vaccinated)

I sure hope so too that things will calm soon.

What do you guys think? Is there another resort that you think would be good for no park days?

I think any of those would be great. I am not sure I personally would spend the entire day at the resort and probably end up at the Springs for at least one meal or do mini golf as well. But yes AKL is the best one for food if that's what you plan to do (swim and rest).

 

[kastoney]

Happy Friday! Andy and I are off today. And I am sitting her trying to decide what to do. Since we aren't doing a real summer vacation, I just made a bunch of long weekends. But we never planned anything. I think we might just hang by the pool today, which is fine but I just feel like we need to DO SOMETHING!

Sounds like you all are really loving the pool. And remember if you need a long weekend DC is just a few short hours away

Disney! We talked about a possible no park trip. Possibly a split stay at the Poly and Yacht Club, so we could do a pool day at each resort. Maybe do a water park or 2. Do mini golf, surrey bikes, those kinds of things. A lot of our favorite restaurants aren't even at the parks, so we could easily eat our way without stepping foot into a park.

That is/was our plan for next week. Chilling at the pool. Lots of good food. And only the boo bash. The more I think about it the more excited I am not not have to run around so much. Though spoiler alert looking like it isn't going to happen with the state of Florida being the state of Florida.

I have hit the 180 Day Mark! I know I said this before but it is strange to not have to be booking dinning today. But also kind of nice. It is exciting a little, like I feel like this is a "regular" amount of time to be waiting for our trip!

It really does!!!! We've had so many countdowns going over the last 2 years anything under 200 days seemed like a win

his delta variant is really worrisome. I try to be realistic about this whole situation, I just hope things can settle down between then and now. (And we can get Gwen vaccinated)

I'm so with you. We've had some family stuff going on that I thought would lead us to cancel the trip but as that situation improves covid just seems to get worse and worse. My heart is still hoping for a quick b-day trip but I think my head knows it isn't gonna happen. I would feel so much better if Casey was just vaccinated.

Animal Kingdom Lodge - This would be the perfect time to try here. Not going to parks, we wouldn't have to worry about how far away it is from anything. But is the pool "fun" enough for a pool day? It would be a good way to really enjoy the views of the animals... And we could just eat at ALL of the restaurants there. I would probably want to do all of them.

AKL would be a great place to be without parks. Hopefully by then they would have a lot of their special activities back up and running. They had a program a few years back where the kids could complete different activities and earn beads. Casey loved it

What do you guys think? Is there another resort that you think would be good for no park days?

For me its WL. The pool is great, plus Geyser point, and you could even walk over to FW and check things out there.

 

[ZeeWP]

Your Pre-trip report has been great!! Thanks for sharing your experiences! We are going on our first WDW family trip Thanksgiving 2022. I haven't been back since 2005! So I am beyond excited.

 

[vamassey1]

180 days is a good time to celebrate. You're getting closer. I'm also worried about the Delta variant. I'm praying they get a safe vaccine for the kids too. I'm just so tired of this roller coaster of Covid.

Picking the perfect Resort for a resort only stay is hard. There is really so much to do outside of the parks that you really can't go wrong.

I thought of you when Danielle sent me pictures inside Trader Sam's on Friday night. So jealous!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Hey Everyone!!!

I know i have been pretty MIA on here. But I keep going to plan, and there is nothing to plan! And with all the delta vairant news I was feeling a little dis-heartened that the trip might not happen.

BUT I am determined to not let that bring me down! We WILL go, as long as Gwen is vaccinated! I just keep googling when that might happen like a crazy person every 3 or 4 days...

But that isn't what I wanted to talk about today. I want to talk about this announcement about Genie+... Everyone is all over the place with it!

And I am going to probably have an unlikely opinion on it... But I think it might not be so bad... I think it will depend on a few things - Mainly how many people are going to pay for it. The Fastpass lines or I guess now they are going to be called Lighting Lanes.... can't get too backed up, otherwise the people paying will get real angry. It's one thing if a free service still takes awhile... but if we pay for it, has to be FAST!!! not just slightly faster....

My questions about it are, can you just buy a few days? Like for our trip we are going to probably get either 8 or 9 day tickets. Will we have to buy Genie+ for ALL the days? Or can we pick certain days and certain parks? I have to think it will be an add on when you are booking at some point? Like park hoppers? Maybe? Or maybe not?

I don't think it will be worth doing in EPCOT... There are so few rides already there. Plus the way we have it, one of the days we go to EPCOT, we might not even try to ride rides... Also, thinking it might not be worth it for Animal Kingdom? Again, not a TON of rides... What do you guys think? I totally think we could survive both those parks without.

I am curious also to see how the standard out of the box Genie app works. I know it is SUPER optimistic... but maybe that will work fairly well and you don't always need it. It will be some interesting touring plans between the official Disney one, and Touring plans version.

It is funny to me, how Disney can take something and try and make it "easier" by not having so much planning ahead but then somehow make it even MORE confusing... this 3 tier system is going to be baffling to some first timers!


In other news... I am totally thinking we might be going the route of the staycation next summer. The more we talk here and there. I think it will be best to wait another year for Hawaii.

I am thinking maybe the week of Gwen and my Birthdays. (we are 2 days apart) But that does pose the question, if we would want to go into a park or two if that is the case. We will see.

I am leaning towards doing the Poly and Animal Kingdom Lodge for this trip. I think both have great dining options for us. I hate to "give up" the Yacht Club. There were things we could do over in that area that we would def like to do.

 

[ZeeWP]

Hey Everyone!!!

I know i have been pretty MIA on here. But I keep going to plan, and there is nothing to plan! And with all the delta vairant news I was feeling a little dis-heartened that the trip might not happen.

BUT I am determined to not let that bring me down! We WILL go, as long as Gwen is vaccinated! I just keep googling when that might happen like a crazy person every 3 or 4 days...

But that isn't what I wanted to talk about today. I want to talk about this announcement about Genie+... Everyone is all over the place with it!

And I am going to probably have an unlikely opinion on it... But I think it might not be so bad... I think it will depend on a few things - Mainly how many people are going to pay for it. The Fastpass lines or I guess now they are going to be called Lighting Lanes.... can't get too backed up, otherwise the people paying will get real angry. It's one thing if a free service still takes awhile... but if we pay for it, has to be FAST!!! not just slightly faster....

My questions about it are, can you just buy a few days? Like for our trip we are going to probably get either 8 or 9 day tickets. Will we have to buy Genie+ for ALL the days? Or can we pick certain days and certain parks? I have to think it will be an add on when you are booking at some point? Like park hoppers? Maybe? Or maybe not?

I don't think it will be worth doing in EPCOT... There are so few rides already there. Plus the way we have it, one of the days we go to EPCOT, we might not even try to ride rides... Also, thinking it might not be worth it for Animal Kingdom? Again, not a TON of rides... What do you guys think? I totally think we could survive both those parks without.

I am curious also to see how the standard out of the box Genie app works. I know it is SUPER optimistic... but maybe that will work fairly well and you don't always need it. It will be some interesting touring plans between the official Disney one, and Touring plans version.

It is funny to me, how Disney can take something and try and make it "easier" by not having so much planning ahead but then somehow make it even MORE confusing... this 3 tier system is going to be baffling to some first timers!

Delta Variant has so many of us nervous! My kids are in school and I keep waiting on the day they come home sick...

I have been thinking on rides I might not needs genie+, and I too am thinking Epcot. 2 days at MK, AK and HS I will probably do Genie+, but try to rope drop Tier 1 rides. Epcot I will probably spend the money to do Remy with the Ride Purchase option.

 

[kastoney]

I haven't followed too much news on the Genie+ stuff largely just because its so confusing. Only Disney can find a way to make things "easier" by making them harder. I really feel for people who don't eat, sleep, and drink Disney like us. Vacation should not be so hard.

That said as judgey as I am I'm reserving the bulk of it until people have first hand experience with it. Of course its Disney IT so who knows when experience will actually catch up with reliability and availability.

 

[vamassey1]

I'm not happy about Genie+ but I want to read some reviews before I totally hate it. I hoping the hold off releasing it until after our Labor Day trip. I'm sure I'll have to deal with it for our Thanksgiving week trip. I really hope you don't have to purchase it for every day too. I can't see needing it in Epcot or AK.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I'm not happy about Genie+ but I want to read some reviews before I totally hate it. I hoping the hold off releasing it until after our Labor Day trip. I'm sure I'll have to deal with it for our Thanksgiving week trip. I really hope you don't have to purchase it for every day too. I can't see needing it in Epcot or AK.

I was watching some of Tim Tracker yesterday and Jenn described it like when you start a new game and you read the instructions and it is overwhelming. But then you start playing the game and it's not as confusing. And I like that idea and really hope that is the case with this...

Delta Variant has so many of us nervous! My kids are in school and I keep waiting on the day they come home sick...

It's awful. We have 2 more weeks before we start here. Thankfully, my oldest is vaccinated. It's just my youngest Gwen. The worst too, is every cough you get SOOO paranoid! I hope they don't get sick!!

I haven't followed too much news on the Genie+ stuff largely just because its so confusing. Only Disney can find a way to make things "easier" by making them harder. I really feel for people who don't eat, sleep, and drink Disney like us. Vacation should not be so hard.

That is really going to be the problem! Us folks will figure out the best way to navigate the system and those poor souls who don't even know that you need to book park days, will have no idea!

That said as judgey as I am I'm reserving the bulk of it until people have first hand experience with it. Of course its Disney IT so who knows when experience will actually catch up with reliability and availability.

I am VERY anxious to see how it works. And the way IT works, I am more worried about the whole thing not working more than the cost... We will see how it works! I am def in the wait and see camp.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Guys... I have a confession to make... I keep looking to see what hotel rooms would be available for us to sneak in a short trip in December. But I think I hit the point where there isn't any reasonable reservations available. It was kind of a secret plan I had in my head. Like SUPRISE, we are all vaccinated, let's GO! Instead of Now that you won the super bowl, what are you going to do next, this would be the vaccinated version. "So, now your family is fully vaccinated, What are you going to do next?" "Go to Disney World!"

I "could" book Coronado for Black Friday through December 1st. It would be a preferred room. I am sooo tempted to grab it. Like I have it in my shopping cart to check out. As a "package" I would only need the $200 deposit. BUT it would mean Gwen would need her 1st shot October 22nd. And I really don't know if that would be possible. And I feel like if I book something, I might jinx it...

This new world of travel planning is beyond strange!!!!

I had a whole "plan" in my head. We would be able to do the traditional family Thanksgiving with everyone and there mother here at the house. And then Black Friday, we always put the christmas tree up and decorate. I could leave a note in the ornament boxes that we were leaving for Disney that afternoon/evening. It would be perfect! They would never suspect it! It would be a short trip, just 4 park days. But I think it would be enough just to dip our toes back in. And have a real vacation. We will see.....

Ok... So, I just booked it. EEEKKKK!!!!! The chances of it happening are pretty SLIM!!!! Like REALLY slim... But I need to cancel by October 27th. So, we will know by then if Gwen will have been poked by then or not.

Convincing Andy is going to be the 2nd biggest hurtle. I have been trying to make that balance between not talking about Disney and planting the seeds to get him to agree. He likes Disney but def doesn't want to talk about it all the time. Gwen and I have been watching a lot of Allears.net. And half the time I think Andy thinks we are crazy and then the other half he gets sucked into them.

I think I am going off the deep end in the world of planning. Am I crazy?