I finally have a few moments to post an update. We crossed into the US on the 19th, (land then flight from Buffalo) - today is Christmas Eve and I’m just sitting by the Christmas tree in the French Quarter lobby, feeling so grateful that we got to come. As someone said above, the trip wasn’t perfect, there is the added stress of testing etc but it has been overall amazing. Especially when it comes to taking a mental break from everything covid at home. I really feel like so many of us in Canada totally put our lives on hold for 2 years now, living in constant fear that it’s quite a shock to the system to see people enjoying themselves. I have to say indoor mask compliance is over 95% at Disney, cast members are great at reminding people.
Some Disney highlights for us were: Christmas after hours with the parade & fireworks, almost all rides walk on.
Epcot - candlelight processional- so so beautiful and worth the crazy expensive dining pkg.
Early entry for resort guests worked great this week, we made ourselves (OK - I made my family) get up early and had tons done by 9-10 am. Used genie plus a couple of times, almost didn’t need it unless you planned to stay late or come back later in the day.
Main drawback of this week were crowds, but it wasn’t horrible until about 11 am each day.
Weather …well I forgot how cold Nov to Mar time frame can be in central Florida. For 2 days it was downright cold, sweater not enough cold. Also rained those 2 days which made it feel even colder. The rest of the time it’s just cold in the mornings and at night, so bring layers. I wasn’t expecting the Caribbean but didn’t bring enough sweaters/hoodies.
Last negative was spotty/lacking merchandise. I wanted a Christmas spirit jersey and ears. Sold out for weeks I was told.
Not a single mug left in the World of
Disney store. They had them but sold out a month ago. No Mickey’s Pantry store Disney Springs, my favourite.
What else… tested with Curative for our return trip, had Walgreens booked too but we didn’t want to risk an Uber driver being uncomfortable or something and Curative is not a drive through. We took an Uber to the Hawaiian Rumble near Disney springs, they have a tent/kiosk set up there, showed them our QR codes they emailed us when we booked our appts, then were supervised while we performed our own nose swabs.
We were told results normally 1-4 hrs but took like 6-7 hrs for us… I started to curse in my mind that we should have gone elsewhere, but they finally came. It’s the RT-PCR test. All negative. We also tested along the way with the rapid antigen just for our own peace of mind.
I just have to do the ArriveCAN app thing and otherwise tomorrow is our last full day.
We arrive home on the 26th.
Thanks to everyone on this thread for all the advice and encouragement.
It’s partially why we went through with this trip. We have a cruise Jan 16 but I think I’ll cancel or reschedule it when we get home.
If you have any questions about this Disney trip , let me know.
Happy holidays to everyone!