Reality is settling in now

:rofl:

:laughing:

This is so true. I’ve said it here before, but I’ll say it again. I have a child on the autism spectrum. She is high functioning, but often times has trouble expressing her emotions. The second ride we went on was the Magic carpets of Aladdin. She rode up front with me. I asked her if she wanted to raise and lower us and she shook her head no. (Side note - she is very afraid of messing up and even though you can’t mess that up, she didn’t know, so she didn’t want to be in control.) So I said I’d do it then. As soon as the ride started, I raised us all the way to the top. She had the biggest smile I might have ever seen at that very moment. I didn’t have my phone and I’d have loved to have a picture of that moment to show other people, but the truth is I don’t need it for me. It is written in indelible ink on my brain.

Cast member could have come to me and said “Sir, we know you have spent thousands of dollars to come here, but your time is up.” And I would have smiled on the way out. That was what I call my price of admission moment.

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Such a sweet, sweet story! Thanks for (re-)sharing! :slight_smile:

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This is SO true, and exactly how I feel about when my DS saw Vader walk out during Jedi Training. I will remember that smile forever, without a picture. But I can’t remember a smile I can’t see behind a mask, so I totally understand and can relate to @eightyeightkeys dilemma.

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I can see the smile in my kids’ eyes. Sometimes they’re so excited they actually wiggle a bit. I mean, blind parents never see their kids smile, right?

But yeah, if the masks are that off putting to anyone, reschedule. It’s too much money if you don’t think you’ll be able to embrace the experience for what it is. Being there and resenting the situation won’t do anyone any good (unless you are REALLY committed to 100% hiding it from your kids).

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I don’t think I will resent being there, and I know I will find lots of “Joy” on our trip. I, personally, will be happy as could be just to walk down Main Street. :blush: DS and I have talked how this trip could be a very unique opportunity to experience Disney in a historic way, and I know we would totally enjoy ourselves. I suppose some of it is FOMO for the experiences that won’t be available combined with we have a two day drive and it will just be me and DS11. If I would be the one to get symptomatically ill with COVID anywhere along our trip or while there, that could be tricky to navigate.

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Yeah, that’s the hard part about this time.

My wife and I were discussing going two years ago and we originally were going to schedule our trip for a time right about now. Instead, we opted to go Thanksgiving week, which while super crowded was pure luck that we didn’t have to worry about Covid, masks, David’s vacation club cancelling, etc. It was a really good trip, but it wouldn’t have been the same. Plus, my special needs child would have a hard time wearing it. She would just rather not be there.

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IF the above happens, post here.
80% chance you’re only feeling icky.

If I lived along your route - which I don’t - I’d be happy to relay drive you to the next liner willing to help.

Tho we might have to create a bubble for you in the back seat. Carry along some duct tape and plastic sheeting. In my experience, if you’ve got it, you won’t need it.

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My first real trip to WDW was in August 2017. My “moment” was at the end of HEA when Tinkerbell flies. I looked up and thought, “That’s not … ? No. Surely. It can’t be. OMG. It’s a real person!”

No-one took a photo of me during that moment, and I didn’t see me during that moment. But the memory is etched into my brain.

There are other such moments. I don’t want to say that WDW is full of them. But there are certainly a few really special ones.

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Same thing for my mom. I took her on her “bucket list” trip two years ago. When she saw Tinkerbell fly, she looked at me in awe with tears running down her face. I’ll never forget it.

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This is why YOU don’t need a picture. You saw something that got etched into your brain. Sure it would be really nice to go back and show somebody else, and I guess that’s what some of these pictures are for. But as far as the memory, you really can’t beat it.

I saw something where your brain will remember certain events If you ask anyone who is old enough where they were on Sept 11, they will know. Same thing as when JFK was shot, etc. Certain events happen and you will never forget them. That is true on a world events level, but I also think it’s true on a personal level. That’s why I’ll never forget my daughter smiling so hard, and you’ll never forget your mom watching Tinkerbell fly.

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This is so true. I can clearly remember the smiles on my families face from our first trip in 2018, including DH! I’ve done better with putting my phone away, which leaves not as many pictures. But being in the moment is just so much better.

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It can be though. There are certainly some that mean more to some people than others.

So true. But there can be more than just a few. Different people have different memories. For example, when we first did Enchanted Tales with Belle, my wife and I were the knights in armor, and my daughter that isn’t on the spectrum was The Beast. Seeing her dancing with Belle was one of the highlights of that trip, so I have a fond memory of that too. But most people might not feel the same way I do about that or the Magic Carpets of Aladdin.

Well, in light of our district’s return to school plan that was released, I am going to have to cancel the trip for me and DS. We are supposed to be there in ten days checking into Pop for 8 nights. Since I have to return to full time in person teaching, I will not be able to quarantine myself for an appropriate amount of time before I have to report to school for classroom prep and new training we will be receiving to deal with the Covid threat and also to prepare virtual lessons in case we get shut down at some point. I cannot in good conscience return to work after having just travelled from Florida seven days prior to going back to work. To say I am extremely sad about this is an understatement especially when I see how clean and safe the parks appear to be and how empty!! We would have traveled by car over two days each way, though, and traveling through Tennessee, northern Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia was definitely my biggest concern, not being at Disney itself.

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So sorry for your missed trip. :cry: We had a trip booked for Florida but cancelled when we thought DLR was opening. Now that is not happening and I am just sad. The summer of sad.

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So sorry for you. We are supposed to go Aug 8-15 and we are going to be in a very similar situation with the quarantine advisories both from our state and from the kids’ colleges. We got an email last night informing us that they are staggering move-in dates, and some kids will have to move in as early as Aug 11, and quarantine for 14 days before they can attend in person classes. I am holding on to the hope that we can work it out, but it is not looking likely. Like @OBNurseNH said in another thread, I am going to be really angry if I cancel this trip, and the colleges decide to go 100% virtual at the last minute. Half of their classes are already going virtual, meals are going to be grab and go, with minimal seating, and they are not allowed to have any visitors (friends) in their rooms. I understand that this is all for the protection of the students, and I appreciate it, but I am wondering why we are paying room and board under these circumstances? It kind of seems like a money grab to me. I would almost rather them not bring kids back to campus until it is safe. I am more afraid of them getting COVID 19 at college than I am at WDW. You know how kids are, they don’t worry about stuff, and I think very early on, many of them will not adhere to guidelines.

I really hope it works out that you will be able to go. So much stress is in the not knowing. The clincher for me was having to go back full time to in-school teaching. Masks will not be required. :scream:

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We were to go August 8-15 and cancelled recently. I want to go sooooo badly but it just didn’t work for our family. Best of luck to you!

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Canceled all my park plans, dining reservations, resort, and flights yesterday. Was a major bummer. booked same week in 2021…back to a super long wait. quality vacation rentals in New Jersey are few and far between. can’t stand not having a family vacation planned. feel like i’m failing my family on some level.

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