I’ve not known what to do with myself this week. With no FastPasses to book, it has been a bit of an anti-climax following two weeks of frantic button pressing. I have been randomly trying the app to see if any Flight Of Passage (or Slinky Dog) FastPasses become available. Not for me it seems. It’s becoming a bit of a bee in my bonnet if I’m honest, especially with Emily regularly reading me loads of posts from Orlando Facebook groups all pronouncing how easy it has been for them to secure them.
I find this unacceptable. Don’t Disney know who I am? I am a world-famous blogger with handfuls of readers. I am a high level influencer with several top brands relying on me to promote their goods. Bright white trainers, twenty year old Adidas rucksacks, hair products, man thongs and other such things are just a few examples of the huge impact my implied approval can have.
How Disney can allow me to be denied a ride on one of their attractions is beyond me. One utterance of my displeasure and all of my readers will never darken their doors again….probably. I am in no way resentful that my yearning to fly up a passage will go unsatisfied.
I did a bit of a “try on” session last week. Louise started getting stuff organised, with the case brought out to sit in the bedroom like some portent of impending joy and she needed to know which T-shirts I’d be taking. It was at this point that I realised that I have a lot of T-Shirts. To be fair, they come in many sizes to accommodate me in varying states of shape. With my pre-holiday weight loss regime almost done, I can fit into most of them for now, so I have some tough decisions to make as we near packing time.
That hasn’t of course stopped me ordering one more. We have decided not to do full costumes for Mickey’s Not So Scary due to fears of being too hot, but themed (non-matching) T-Shirts are the order of the day. Mine arrives shortly and you shall have to wait to see it in the trip report. I will set your expectations now that it probably isn’t worth the wait.
My dollars arrived this week too. There weren’t as many as I might have wished for due to the atrocious state of the exchange rate, but that is something I can’t affect so I’ll just silently fume about it and feel like I am being persecuted by the currency, Slinky Dog and Flight Of Passage Gods.
I do feel more organised than I did this time last week. I have gathered all the documents I need and they nestle in my planning folder ready to be tucked into Ryan. Yes, I do put them in the order in which they will be required during our journey…what of it?
One of those documents came from the villa owner, who sent me the instructions for our stay. It comes in three volumes, with a page count to rival a Tolkien novel. It may take me the whole nine-hour flight to digest the complex and intricate requirements to gain entry first to the gated community and then the villa. The recycling and refuse routine is one step down from launching a manned mission to Mars and if we don’t get something wrong during the trip it will be a miracle.
We have reviewed the food menu and entertainment options for the flight and both look promising. Of course, Rebecca, Tom and Emily, having Freddie on their row will be watching nothing with a ten month old to entertain, but I am hopeful I can squeeze a good number of films in to fill the time. Granddad privileges. I have served my time and have the Polly Pockets to prove it.
So now, all that is left is to fret about all the usual stuff. Will I get everything done at work that I need to pre-launch? Will we all fit into the taxi to the airport with our luggage, stroller and car seat? Will the journey be OK? Will I forget some crucial detail or document and ruin the whole trip? Will everyone enjoy the trip I’ve planned? Will the two weeks fly by in about two seconds? Well, yes it will, so I am reminding myself to soak up every moment, including the foreboding prospect of the long flight, and my insatiable desire to power through all the admin crap at Orlando airport and be released into the wild in my shiny hire car (van).
With one more blog to go before we leave, there will then be a brief pause to blogging whilst we holiday. On my return, the trip report shall commence. If you have any like-minded Disney friends whose Sundays you’d like to ruin, howsabout you share this crap with them? Encourage them along to marvel at our food consumption and let’s see if we can get my readership into double figures.
If they Like the Facebook page and/or follow me on Twitter, not only will they be alerted with each new post of the trippie, but during the holiday I’ll be over sharing all sorts of exciting updates, almost certainly to be food related.
Our digits will be single tomorrow. All of our suffering will end shortly.
Till the next time…..
Mkingdon's Blog 
Have you used the fast pass availability tool on the Dibb? It’s really handy! Click on the ride you want and it shows you the availability for the next 90 days or so, and is constantly updated! It helped me snag slinky dog passes when they suddenly showed available. We arrive a couple of days after you and are staying at Emerald Island too, soooo excited! Xx
See you there 👍
Trip Report…..say no more….what? – nope, no pressure, no pressure at all 😂
I go back to work as you go on your holidays, I may sulk through your twitter feed.
Thoughts and prayers 😏
Looking forward to seeing what you get up to – especially as we leave for Orlando on 21st September. Hope you all have a wonderful time and get the most out of showing newbies just how special it is 😃
Thanks Gina
We booked a FOP FP+ at about 9.30 one night after spending days logging on at 12.00pm – somebody on the Dibb alerted that some had become available. Not seen any others mind!
Yeh go on, rub it in 🙄😏😁
Keep looking and fingers crossed for you. We waited for Slinky Dog for 75 mins which was 35 mins over our max wait time. We’ve done it but won’t queue anywhere near that length if time again.
We have just returned home this week from a fab 3 weeks, some of which we stayed at Emerald Island. I am now suffering from Florida Blues, a well documented ailment. My symptoms are getting worse because hubby has banned me from booking 2019 flights – booo!
Anyway, we also started our holiday with no FOP FP. It was a holiday disaster of epic proportions. As chief planner, I felt a sense of failure and shame and was faced with a choice of falling on my own sword and resigning at the end of the holiday or face being sacked by the Holiday committee (there’s a committee in our house).
Then a week into the holiday, I was checking the MDE app one morning and quite out of the blue there was a FOP FP for 9pm the following day. It was a memory I will treasure forever. My planning job was safe after all. The ride was amazing and definitely the ride of the holiday for us. Going at night was better because Pandora Land was lit up and very beautiful. We also managed to go on the River ride as well as there was a 5 minute wait for this.
A few days later, a 2nd FP suddenly popped up for that evening at 9pm. Well it would be rude not to.
So don’t give up hope and keep checking the app as cancellations do come up.
Thanks for your blog. It is good medicine for the Sunday dreading going back to work syndrome
Thank you. I know the syndrome well 🙄
I know just how you feel about fretting just before traveling! We go on Wednesday and I’ve organised our entire holiday including itinerary and fast passes for our party of 5 including 2 that we’ve never been on holiday with before! It’s a lot of pressure! (Not that I would want anyone else to do it!) (oh, and our paperwork is in order of usage too! Nothing wrong with that 😉)
Yep it’s pressure but I couldn’t let anyone else do it all 😁
Our paperwork is in order of use too. Sadly the only piece of paper still in the folder is the bit for transport back to the airport.
Immigration / security is a shambles at the airport at the moment , took 2 hours to get into the country (best go to the loo before you get off the plane)
Not good 😒
So close to your trip now, you can smell it. We arrived yesterday, it’s a tad bit hot x
As KC once said…that’s the way…we like it 😁
Have a great trip. If you don’t manage to get a FP for FOP it’s worth doing the rope drop and the run to FOP….. you won’t regret it , but I’m sure with persistence on the MDE app your snag one along the way. Safe travels !!
Thank you