Month: August 2021

Yearn To Fly

by mkingdon, posted in Walt Disney World

It’s been a long and winding road, starting in November 2019, but the trip that never was is now officially dead.

After five sets of dates and endless stress and faff, on Wednesday Aer Lingus postponed the start of their Manchester to Orlando service until (at least) mid December. We all knew this was coming of course, but it is still a big kick in the nads when it does.

I knew that something would need to give in the next week or so as we had balances coming due in early September that I would definitely not be paying if there was no border news. Aer Lingus, thankfully, in a way, put me out of my misery….and into a new, different misery instead.

Previously when flights were cancelled we simply picked the whole trip up and moved it into the future, naively believing that by “that time” everything would be back to normal. Not this time my friends. With the US infected with lots of Delta and even more stupidity, I can see no prospect of travel to the US in the coming months.

So on Wednesday and Thursday I began the very sad and labour intensive task of cancelling everything and this time requesting refunds. I called Aer Lingus who tried to tempt me into vouchers with a 10% bonus, but there’s seems little point in that really. So full refunds were requested and then I sent back all our theme park tickets, requesting our refund for those too. They expire at the end of 2021 and I think there is zero chance of a trip before then. I can’t tell you how upset I was sending those back. It was a physical manifestation of the death of our plans. I was also very scared that the postal service will lose them and that envelope contained lots of cash value in those little plastic cards. Until I get receipt confirmed and the refund processed that will be something else to worry about.

For a few weeks now we have been chatting about what to do as and when our October WDW plans died. Ultimately our need for some sort of holiday has kicked in and we are now looking at alternative countries for a different kind of holiday, just to get some sun, relaxation and fun. I have all kinds of reservations about that. The testing regime, the ability of our government to screw holiday makers over by changing the colour of a country either just before you go or whilst you are there and the fact that frankly it isn’t Florida, are all on my mind.

However, I will be happy to go, and just not be on Teams or mowing grass for a little bit.

As far as Florida plans go, well we have none and that is never a state I like to be in. Our position now is that we will wait for the border to be opened and then see how many organs we need to sell to fund the surely ridiculous flight prices that will be used to gouge every penny from the pent up demand.

It would be par for the course now for the US to open their border, probably just after we press the “book” button on some trip to the Canaries or similar. Sure, I am feeling sorry for myself. I earned it.

When looking for these alternative holidays the constant issue of no hotel being in Florida or being operated by Disney persists. Those that “look” nice then have unsettling amounts of horrifying reviews on Trip Advisor. There’s also the fact that we haven’t holidayed anywhere else for twenty years or so (as Louise constantly reminds me) and that makes me scared of the unfamiliar.

I suspect we will find something suitable and have a really nice time, but of course, it will not shock you to know that I will be thinking about the next WDW trip the whole time, like some unfaithful ex.

We did get our Vero DVC element transferred to a credit note. We have 36 months to use that. Should be fine. right? In my gut, I suspect it will probably be next summer before we get back over there and it will probably need to be before the end of August as Freddie will start school/reception in September. We may have to sell the house to fund that trip. I mean, I like this house, but needs must!

We did briefly consider moving the trip to January, but there are only so many times you can get hurt and keep coming back for more. If by some miracle the US open up say on January 1st then you will probably have to wrestle me to the ground to stop me booking us a trip for that month. Sure, it’ll be cooler/chilly at night but not as bloody chilly as Lancashire will be!

In more cheery news I have a week off work next week. How I have enjoyed everyone I talk to at work asking “Are you going away anywhere?”. I refrain from explaining my two year struggle to get on a plane and just smile and say, “No, just relaxing at home.” If only they knew…..

In reality I will be mowing stuff no doubt, answering work emails on my phone and not lying in as long as I would like to. Oh and dieting. If we are going anywhere near a beach or pool any time soon, then for the sake of others, things need to change in a big way and quickly. With just over a month till we go, I figure I can lose say three pounds?

So as I remember sitting in our old house, watching the news of the pandemic around April 2020 and telling Louise that our August 2020 trip would be absolutely fine as there was no way this thing would go on that long, let us all marvel at my spectacular ability to get things wrong. If that trend continues in the same vein then any day now the US border will be open and I’ll be seething on a flight to somewhere else.

Fingers crossed that the return to school over here (I know Scotland are back already and seeing this) doesn’t see a huge spike in cases that may lead to even our second choice of holiday being threatened. I can’t say it often enough. You can keep destroying my overseas holiday plans as much as you like but I am not booking a bloody holiday in the UK!

Till the next time…….

I Seethe At Genie

by mkingdon, posted in Walt Disney World

It’s one of those weeks were horrific events somewhere in the world make the trivial nonsense here even more offensive. Usual caveats apply in that regard.

There was a brief moment around Wednesday, with a couple of White House Covid briefings that some semblance of hope surfaced about border news. It turned out that they were all about the booster jab programme and nobody even said the word border.

It was silly to hope but it’s what we do I suppose. With the passing of that potential update, hope for October is now all but extinguished I think. I am prepared to be wrong yet again but I don’t see us being allowed to go. It feels to me that the US administration are completely focussed on the Delta variant (and of course more so Afghanistan now) and getting that under some sort of control before they do anything. Battling with the governors trying their best to extend the pandemic is probably taking precedence over allowing tourists in.

The White House announced it was extending the travel restrictions for Canada and Mexico until September 21st this week so we know from that, the UK will be the same until that date and most likely beyond.

Now of course the thinking and theories could be that they will get those boosters delivered before they open the border. That would be a good few months. Overall, I guess they just want to get case levels down to a more reasonable level. As ever, the frustration is the lack of transparency. Most folks just want to know they aren’t going if they aren’t.

It’s tragically sad in its own little first world problem kind of way.

Then to kick a man when he is down Disney unveiled their plans to introduce paid for FastPasses. I honestly couldn’t be arsed to research it in much detail but I will share my uncalled for uninformed opinion regardless of course, as is the way on the internet.

As usual, it appears more complex than it needs to be but I think it’s $15 a day which on its own in the scheme of the holiday doesn’t sound too bad. But for UK folks doing 10 to 14 days, for a family of four it adds up to between £600 and £800 to your holiday. Sure you don’t have to buy it every day, but it just makes for a two tier system in the parks. You can probably ride all the lesser attractions, but if you want to get anywhere near Rise Of The Resistance or Flight Of Passage as examples, then you are paying extra for the Lightning Lane stuff, which, however you cut it, is a bit of a piss take. I know all the parks do it now, but any model where the park makes more money by being a bit crap at processing large volumes through rides only benefits one side of that deal. Who am I to suggest that they may intentionally inflate wait times to up their revenues.

Maybe the free version will manage the crowds in a way that will reduce the longest wait times, but you have to think that if that happened nobody would be buying the paid for versions and as much as we all love Disney, I think we know how that one goes.

I’m sure park reservations and the new Genie thing give WDW unimaginable data and insight on crowds in the parks and will allow them to marshal folks to quieter areas and rides and I can see the theory that this will make for a more enjoyable experience. I doubt it will get you onto the headliner rides though unless you get your hand in your pocket. Having shelled out over $20 to park, $15 a day per person on top or potentially unlimited amounts of the Lightning thing sticks in the throat a bit as it isn’t as if the park tickets are particularly cheap. It would have been a nice gesture to say, because of this we commit to not increasing park ticket prices for two years or similar. Again, this is pure fantasy I know. They are there to make money.

It’s another stage in the slow death of the feeling of excitement surrounding these holidays. It’s becoming a dark cloud of doubt and uncertainty hanging over us rather than a beacon of joy and excitement that we can look forward to. We don’t stay on-site typically but I have seen many folks bemoaning the slow removal of almost every previous benefit of doing so. It makes you wonder what the thinking is behind it. Maybe WDW has data that says that off-site guests are more profitable? Hard to imagine that is true but why else would they upset their own resort guests?

Usually I am very supportive of any change WDW come up with. I trust them to protect the experience and brand. It’s probably a symptom of my incredible frustration that we cannot be there, or even know when we might, that I am lashing out like some bitter ex.

I did briefly look at ADRs early in the week, mainly just to try and remember what it used to be like doing exciting things like planning. The pickings were not just slim, they were skeletal. I appreciate that I missed the 60 day window due to apathy and no belief that we will be able to go, but unless you plan to eat at Disney Springs there is nothing to book. I managed to find a couple of things we would be happy with but I’m just creating more things to cancel later.

I know it’s not like me but I will end with a couple of small positives, that are probably too late to save our current dates but may go someway to helping with later ones. On Friday (I think it was) the US delivered over one million jabs in a day for the first time in months. Even Trump endorsed getting the jab at his latest MAGA rally. He was booed of course as you can’t fix stupid, but maybe some of his less challenged followers will take the hint that all the MAGA dolts undermining the vaccine have had it. If that continues and cases start to plateau who knows, we may get in.

In summary, I am worried about how I am starting to feel about WDW and Florida. I have a real fear that things will never be a special as we perceived them to be in the past and if that is the case what a shame that will be. All this angst may well melt away once we are back to being able to go when we want to. In the meantime I shall continue to spit my dummy all over the interwebs in a vain attempt to make myself feel better.

The truly tragic part of that is that you have to tolerate or avoid it as you see fit.

Till the next time…….

Border Whine

by mkingdon, posted in Walt Disney World

As hope for our October trip dwindles day by day now in a maelstrom of DeSantis testosterone and MAGA asshattery, even the airlines are joining in. Midweek, TUI dropped an enormous bollock and updated their website to say all flights/holidays to Florida were cancelled until November.

They corrected the error fairly quickly but not before Disney Facebook went into understandable meltdown, which was only superseded by the outrage of it being an error. The last thing thousands of desperate Florida obsessives need is someone dicking about and making errors like that.

For us, I don’t see a scenario in which borders are opened in time now. Aside from whether we actually want to go into the COVID soup of Florida, I think it is now only a matter of time until we get cancelled again and I wouldn’t be shocked to discover that the TUI cock up comes to fruition relatively soon. The dates for which flights are being cancelled now is edging towards our departure date. Virgin have now gone to September 23rd before you can book a flight to Orlando on their website.

In an attempt to find the glass half full, at least we won’t lose the money we paid for our Vero stay via DVC points. Next week I will be able to convert that to a credit note. As long as that has a 50 year expiration date we may even get to use it at some point.

What we do when the seemingly inevitable cancellation happens will depend on how we feel the land lies I suppose. If there is definite news of the border opening or at least some clue that they are planning on it then I guess we push the thing back a month and go again, again. If we are still in this endless limbo then we may make the call to push it out until next year and go and have a holiday somewhere that we are allowed to go (I have no idea where that is or might be) and just get some sun. We all desperately need a break of some sort.

The real problem to me is, when does this get better? Vaccine rates in the US aren’t low because they can’t roll them out. Folks just won’t take it. Where does that lead us? In circles is my guess and even by saying, well, we will sack it off and go next year, what will have changed or improved by then?

As you all no doubt know, Florida and much of the South are drowning in COVID, driven by vaccine resistance, idiotic religious dogma and politically driven stupidity. The very obvious facts that unvaccinated areas are seeing massively worse outcomes seems to be ignored. We are truly in a post truth scenario. The upshot is that this will prolong the pandemic and resultant travel restrictions, probably beyond our dates and I am not OK about it.

But then I think, US folks can currently come to the UK, fully jabbed, with no quarantine, and large parts of the south of that country are like a scene from The Walking Dead, so maybe the US could reciprocate. But as much as I always thought one state’s situation would not affect Biden’s countrywide decisions, he has to bear in mind that Florida is a huge tourist destination. I guess if he only allows double jabbed folks in, they will fare better than the yeehaws and rednecks hiding behind their bibles and MAGA hats like some sort of crucifix.

Uggh….

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For someone who has been so loyal and so obsessed with Florida holidays it is heart-breaking to notice that as more time passes something strange is happening. Of course I miss it and at times a vlog, a memory or even a smell can evoke ridiculously strong emotions of sadness that we have no prospect of returning anytime soon. But at the same time, the longer it is that we can’t go, the more used to not going I become.

I suppose that is just one tiny example of how life will never be the same again for so many people in so many ways. Now, knowing me, as soon as there is news and progress my massive obsession will resume. I guess it’s the endless unknowing void of just moving the whole bloody thing time after time. I’m sure many in my situation would even welcome Biden following New Zealand’s lead and at least putting us out of our seemingly endless misery. New Zealand have already said their borders will be closed until at least the start of 2022.

I would be as equally unsurprised now if Biden either opened up the border next week or said it will be shut until next year.

It’s amazing how the lack of the dangled carrot of a holiday can affect the mood. It hasn’t helped that it has rained non-stop for about three weeks now and the dreary chill of Autumn is hurtling towards us, but I do seem to be a resident, nay King, of the State of Meh.

Never has the need for sunshine been so great.

Till the next time…..

FFS Fridays

by mkingdon, posted in Walt Disney World

Last week saw Louise and I reach the milestone of 25 years of marriage. Thanks to all of you that left comments and congratulations.

On the day itself we were not able to do too much as we were both working, Louise on a late. We did venture out to The Trafford Centre on Friday evening mainly to pop back to the shop Louise got my present from to exchange it for the right size. Twenty five years on and my original wedding ring no longer comfortably fits on my infinitely fatter fingers so she had very thoughtfully got me a new one. I get the new correctly sized one towards the end of next week.

Having done that we thought we would get something to eat whilst we were there. Two things struck us. Firstly 90% of folks were not bothering with masks. I’m no mask Nazi but in a place as packed as it was it probably makes sense for now to err on the side of caution.

Secondly every eatery had a huge queue. As it was now knocking on for 8pm and I hadn’t eaten since around 12 things were getting serious and the lack of a wait became the main selection criteria. Not surprisingly this led to a very disappointing meal at TGI Fridays.

We haven’t been to one of these for many years, but when we have in the past the quality and portions have been pretty impressive. Both seem to have shrunk in the intervening years.

We knew we were in trouble when our £13 plate of nachos came out and it contained about a dozen Doritos and a blob of guacamole.

They tasted OK but when your portion expectations for nachos are built on your Applebee’s experience this was poor.

Our mains weren’t much better. I opted for a burger and it arrived lukewarm and soggy. There aren’t many things you want in that state. Louise had Fajitas filled with crushing disappointment.

There is my burger (there are fries in a separate basket out of shot) with Louise’s tiny portions of guacamole, watered down sour cream and salsa in the background. The sizzling platter was 95% onions and 5% chicken.

As we weren’t full we ordered dessert. They brought me the wrong one but I’d lost the will to complain and ate it anyway. It was the best thing I had which is ironic. Louise had cheesecake which was pretty much what you’d get from Asda.

We left £65 the poorer with no intention to return. Any place can give you a bad experience but if the food is bobbins like that we won’t be back. The service was OK though.

See. You deny me going to Florida and I end up giving you food reviews of some chain restaurant in a shopping centre. The whole experience just served to remind me, as if I needed reminding, of the dining experiences we are currently being denied over in Florida. This thought did not help with my digestion.

Rumour wise this week there was talk of Biden thinking about thinking about making a plan that may include allowing vaccinated folks in. My feeling now is that this probably won’t happen in time for October but I know nothing.

We now seem to be in a willy waving death match between Biden and DeSantis, the latter seeing the death of others as a stepping stone to a Presidential run. I always thought Florida’s stats on their own wouldn’t affect Biden’s overall decision on reopening the borders but again I was wrong. I would imagine Florida is the number one state for tourism and is also of course also the number one state for COVID, vaccine hesitancy and deranged Governor’s. Until things settle down in The Sunshine State I think any change to border policy is unlikely.

Maybe we are destined to perpetually move this trip back a month at a time for the rest of time?

Anyway, I can’t spend all day here. There are strangers on the internet with an incorrect opinion that I need to put right. It seems I am taking my frustrations out on vax sceptics on socials. It passes the time. My frustration at not knowing if we are going, still, grows almost as quickly as Florida’s COVID stats.

Till the next time…,.

Now Wash Your Hands

by mkingdon, posted in Walt Disney World

I did a gig last night. Yep, an actual real life, in front of people, at a private function real gig. It was a bit weird as the last gig we did was back in March 2020 a few days before the first lockdown.

Since then Mustard have swapped out two band members, pretty much all of our set and I may have gained a lockdown pound or two. So it wasn’t just a case of getting back on the horse, it was almost a totally different animal entirely.

There had been times since March 2020 when I did think that doing the band thing may no longer be something I did. Replacing band members, especially when you can’t audition or rehearse with them is tricky and there has been much of the process that has been a bit of a slog, but, we did it, we got to gigging and it was enjoyable without any major incidents or cock ups.

Look at all this normality I am enjoying. I’ll be going to work in an office soon if I’m not careful! Well, let’s not be too hasty on that ok? All in good time.

My highlight of the evening was when going for a wee. In the loos were oodles of sanitisers and soaps along with lots of signs about COVID etc. The three gents in there with me were chatting whilst doing what they had to do, and as I washed and started to dry my hands, imagine my delight as they all put “Fido back in the kennel” and walked out with bothering the sink in any way. As a race I fear we are doomed. I didn’t touch anything I didn’t own for the rest of the evening.

Despite the welcome normality of doing a hobby, the world continues to be pretty much on fire wherever you look. Cases here are going down, however that is being counted or managed, whilst hospitals fill up a bit. The US seem to be in a bit of a meltdown with parts of Florida declaring a state of emergency mainly as MAGAs who sulk because nobody gives Trump credit for getting the vaccine done so quickly, won’t take that vaccine as it is plot by Democrats and software billionaires to track their every move. Yep, that makes sense.

Masks are back at WDW indoors and all in all the worldwide eternal shit show continues. So I continue to sit and look at my plan, regarding it as an abstract thing, with no real basis in reality to speak of. My “will we go or not” optimism meter, today is low, but it changes, often by the hour so don’t worry about that if you are more optimistic than I.

Whilst October is a while away, with the US seemingly getting worse on most fronts across the board I have my doubts that Biden will move to allow tourists in by then. It seems incredible that all this time after all this started we still can’t go and still have no clue when we might. There are bigger fish I guess, but none quite as smelly to me and many who read this.

That previous statement makes it nailed on that within minutes of publishing this post there will be an official statement from the US that borders are opening, such is my track record on these things.

Florida is out there pretty much on its own in the “shit show” Olympics. Vaccination rates are below 60% and cases are up something incredible like 700%. I’m not sure how I acquired them but I have a couple of yeehaw MAGAs on my Facebook. I suspect they are Disney folks who somehow befriended me thinking I was the other Craig Williams who runs The Dis! Anyway, seeing their deranged, anti-science stupidity out there in public for the world to see is depressing both for the continuation of humanity as these people breed and for the prospects of holidays returning. You can have an opinion but one of them cannot be that science isn’t correct. That’s not how it works.

I was encouraged to see Disney enforcing vaccinations for its cast members and the US military doing the same. Of course some people cannot get the jab for valid medical reasons, but everyone else has to get it to protect those very people who will continue to be vulnerable for the very reasons they cannot get the jab. This isn’t hard.

So we journey on, with little certainty or hope that any of our trips will happen any time soon. Whilst it doesn’t keep me awake at night, it’s a rumbling groan in my subconscious. Having preached for years that you should go to WDW whenever the opportunity arises and never “wait till the kids are old enough to enjoy it”, missing these trips with Freddie is hurting a bit. Kids are only ever that age once and whilst he has no clue of course, in my own first world problem bubble, it upsets me that we’ve missed so much.

I’m sure we are getting somewhere close to the ADR window. I haven’t checked for a bit, there seems little point. That in itself is sad.

So I shall retire from the keyboard and this incessant whinging now and go and do not a lot for the rest of the day.

Till the next time……