Finding the Silver Lining in All of This

DisneyMommy77

DIS Veteran
Joined
Nov 9, 2010
I know a lot of people are upset and disappointed with their plans and trips being ruined. These last few months have really been stressful probably for all of us!
I am an essential worker and have been working full-time outside the home, while trying to homeschool my three young children after extremely long work days. I am exhausted and soooo need a vacation.

I was originally supposed to go to NYC in April and also Hawaii in July for 3 weeks, but both had to be cancelled. I was very sad to lose these trips, and to lose a lot of money too!

I am now trying to make Disney work for us in July before school should hopefully start again in August.

I do know my situation is different than others, and since I know this isn’t a once in a lifetime trip we are really hoping to still make the best of it. We are passholders and we typically visit a couple times a year for 2 weeks at a time. We live in CA, and last week I booked resort reservations for July.

With all these changes to fastpasses, park hopping, magic hours, dining, mask requirements, lack of fireworks, attractions etc... it gets really tough.
However, I am determined to make the best of it.

For those of us still trying to go and praying we can actually get park reservations I thought we can think of some things that we actually can look forward to. Here is my list:

1. All my dining reservations are being cancelled, but maybe this means I will eat somewhere new that I never before considered, and find new favorites!
2. The parks are closing earlier than I would like, but maybe I will actually get a more restful type of vacation than usual.
3. I have to wear a mask in the horrible Florida heat, but wow I found the cutest Disney masks on Etsy today for me and family. That will be me in the shimmery Ariel mermaid tail mask!
4. If resort pools open I have to probably wear a mask on the deck while my kids swim, but maybe this will make me actually get in the water this time, and have fun with my kids swimming. They would love that!
4. I will be at Disney in Florida, in the miserable heat, but at least I won’t be at work!
5. All of my fastpasses are being cancelled, but maybe I can relax more instead of stressing about getting everyone to the attractions on time and checking my watch constantly.
6. With options being limited at Disney maybe I can explore more of the Orlando area and other attractions like I always wanted to, but never could squeeze in.

Anyone have others to add?
 
No and I don't even see the silver lining in the ones you listed.

1) I know where I want to eat already and not a child- I don't need to be forced to try new places.
2) I don't go to Disney to rest. If I want relaxing, I'll take a cheap beach vacation.
3 No matter how pretty the mask, it's going to be miserable having it on (although I readily accepted having to wear them)
4) I already spend most of my time in the pool with my grandson, I don't need to be forced to.
5) FP is what allowed me to relax not having to walk around the parks trying to find something without long waits. It's also why I was willing to pay sky high prices to stay on site.
6)I'm not interested in other area attractions. We've been going for 35 yrs. What few I wanted to try, I already have and don't care to do them again.

So nope, I can't find a silver lining.
 
I know a lot of people are upset and disappointed with their plans and trips being ruined. These last few months have really been stressful probably for all of us!
I am an essential worker and have been working full-time outside the home, while trying to homeschool my three young children after extremely long work days. I am exhausted and soooo need a vacation.

I was originally supposed to go to NYC in April and also Hawaii in July for 3 weeks, but both had to be cancelled. I was very sad to lose these trips, and to lose a lot of money too!

I am now trying to make Disney work for us in July before school should hopefully start again in August.

I do know my situation is different than others, and since I know this isn’t a once in a lifetime trip we are really hoping to still make the best of it. We are passholders and we typically visit a couple times a year for 2 weeks at a time. We live in CA, and last week I booked resort reservations for July.

With all these changes to fastpasses, park hopping, magic hours, dining, mask requirements, lack of fireworks, attractions etc... it gets really tough.
However, I am determined to make the best of it.

For those of us still trying to go and praying we can actually get park reservations I thought we can think of some things that we actually can look forward to. Here is my list:

1. All my dining reservations are being cancelled, but maybe this means I will eat somewhere new that I never before considered, and find new favorites!
2. The parks are closing earlier than I would like, but maybe I will actually get a more restful type of vacation than usual.
3. I have to wear a mask in the horrible Florida heat, but wow I found the cutest Disney masks on Etsy today for me and family. That will be me in the shimmery Ariel mermaid tail mask!
4. If resort pools open I have to probably wear a mask on the deck while my kids swim, but maybe this will make me actually get in the water this time, and have fun with my kids swimming. They would love that!
4. I will be at Disney in Florida, in the miserable heat, but at least I won’t be at work!
5. All of my fastpasses are being cancelled, but maybe I can relax more instead of stressing about getting everyone to the attractions on time and checking my watch constantly.
6. With options being limited at Disney maybe I can explore more of the Orlando area and other attractions like I always wanted to, but never could squeeze in.

Anyone have others to add?
You made a good effort but if your vacation is about relaxation, I can think of much cheaper ways to do it.
 
There is no silver lining. I'm a hard core life long Disney fan, as I'm sure many of us are. We have vacationed exclusively at WDW for many many years. They just cancelled my free dining plan, cut what I'm paying for in half while charging me the same amount, and basically said we don't care about your loyalty at all,

I retract my no silver lining statement. There is one. We will vacation elsewhere this year and maybe realize WDW is not the only place to travel. Who knows, I may wake up and realize there are so many better things to do on our family vacation that I don't go back.
 


I know a lot of people are upset and disappointed with their plans and trips being ruined. These last few months have really been stressful probably for all of us!
I am an essential worker and have been working full-time outside the home, while trying to homeschool my three young children after extremely long work days. I am exhausted and soooo need a vacation.

I was originally supposed to go to NYC in April and also Hawaii in July for 3 weeks, but both had to be cancelled. I was very sad to lose these trips, and to lose a lot of money too!

I am now trying to make Disney work for us in July before school should hopefully start again in August.

I do know my situation is different than others, and since I know this isn’t a once in a lifetime trip we are really hoping to still make the best of it. We are passholders and we typically visit a couple times a year for 2 weeks at a time. We live in CA, and last week I booked resort reservations for July.

With all these changes to fastpasses, park hopping, magic hours, dining, mask requirements, lack of fireworks, attractions etc... it gets really tough.
However, I am determined to make the best of it.

For those of us still trying to go and praying we can actually get park reservations I thought we can think of some things that we actually can look forward to. Here is my list:

1. All my dining reservations are being cancelled, but maybe this means I will eat somewhere new that I never before considered, and find new favorites!
2. The parks are closing earlier than I would like, but maybe I will actually get a more restful type of vacation than usual.
3. I have to wear a mask in the horrible Florida heat, but wow I found the cutest Disney masks on Etsy today for me and family. That will be me in the shimmery Ariel mermaid tail mask!
4. If resort pools open I have to probably wear a mask on the deck while my kids swim, but maybe this will make me actually get in the water this time, and have fun with my kids swimming. They would love that!
4. I will be at Disney in Florida, in the miserable heat, but at least I won’t be at work!
5. All of my fastpasses are being cancelled, but maybe I can relax more instead of stressing about getting everyone to the attractions on time and checking my watch constantly.
6. With options being limited at Disney maybe I can explore more of the Orlando area and other attractions like I always wanted to, but never could squeeze in.

Anyone have others to add?
If, big IF, international borders open, I may have a whole row of seats to myself on the aeroplane!
 
OP, I'm sorry that your attempt to find the positive has been met with sour grapes.

I 100% get that people aren't happy. And there is nothing wrong with grieving your own plans. But honestly, if you don't care to join the silver lining train, stay at the station. Nobody is requiring you to comment, keep scrolling and let the OP keep her optimistic outlook.
 
OP, I'm sorry that your attempt to find the positive has been met with sour grapes.

I 100% get that people aren't happy. And there is nothing wrong with grieving your own plans. But honestly, if you don't care to join the silver lining train, stay at the station. Nobody is requiring you to comment, keep scrolling and let the OP keep her optimistic outlook.
Hear, hear!
 


OP, I'm sorry that your attempt to find the positive has been met with sour grapes.

I 100% get that people aren't happy. And there is nothing wrong with grieving your own plans. But honestly, if you don't care to join the silver lining train, stay at the station. Nobody is requiring you to comment, keep scrolling and let the OP keep her optimistic outlook.

As long as we are within guidelines, we are free to post where we choose and what we choose. If you don't want comments on your post, don't post. No one requires you to.
 
I'm a hard core life long Disney fan, as I'm sure many of us are. We have vacationed exclusively at WDW for many many years.
I am so right there with you. I have been a cheerleader for decades and it's very hard to come to the realization I have. We've been going to WDW for 35 years, exclusively. I can't even tell you what exists outside the gates of WDW save for the one, one day trip we made to Universal years ago. It was a good run.
 
Ok, putting my mod cap on.
Yes everyone is entitled to share their thoughts, within guidelines
But
We have so many open threads discussing the changes where everyone is able to vent their frustration and anger
Maybe we can take a thumper approach on this one and
If we don't have something nice to say we don't say nothing at all
Let's see if we can make this happen, shall we?
 
Dear OP,

I share some of your silver lining points. I was a bit upset when I heard dining reservations will be cancelled, but then I thought it would allow us more park time and "force" us to try more quick service options, many that my husband complains I don't let us eat at. Not true but we usually head to table service character meals. I've always wanted to try the quick service dining plan and while I know dining plans aren't available we could still basically follow up.

And FastPasses, while I sometimes love them, I am looking forward to seeing what no FastPass looks like so we don't have to make sure we arrive at a ride within the 1 hour window.

My only concerns right now are my 2 year old. Apparently last night Disney updated their rules for face masks and those 2 and over have to wear one. Not sure how I am going to accomplish that one, honestly. I know things change daily so I'm sitting back and waiting on that since the CDC doesn't recommend them for 2 year olds I can't imagine Disney requiring them for that age.
 
I kind of agree with you.

We live in South East PA, are still on full shutdown. We have very limited outlets for entertainment and fun since everything is shut down. We have been assisting our kids with homeschooling and been working FT (and then some) from home for almost 3 months now. We were really looking forward to our first trip in August to DL. We just need to get away and do something. Maybe areas of the country that have been less restrictive during this situation don't understand, but our kids here can't even go to a park or playground (everything is roped off/equipment removed, etc).

Our family decided to switch to a split Universal/WDW vacation last week and luckily I was able to switch all our DL stuff over and not lose any money/DVC points. We are looking forward to the adventure. We know it won't be the same. But that is ok. I was getting pretty disenfranchised our last few trips anyway with the crowds, upcharges for everything, planning to the minute, etc. My kids are past the character age, and while I enjoy the nightime spectaculars, the rest of my family could care less. I am going in cautiously optimistic that maybe a different type of Disney vacation is just what we need!

I totally understand why others might be very disappointed with the changes, and that is ok. But our perspective is a little different, and we are looking forward to our trip even if it is very different.
 
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The only Silver Lining I can see is the parks are re-opening but it takes 3 years for me to save the 20K for one of these vacations. G*d willing they will return to some normalcy by next year. The same price for a lot less no way.
 
I wasn't sure how my Nov trip was going to be affected but with the news all dining will be canceled through the rest of the year; there I go. I'm more bummed about the different Star Wars reservations I was able to get, so those will be lost. Along with my husband still won't be able to meet Darth Vader which he doesn't know was an option yet. We had already tried last year's Star Wars 5k with the massive storm.

My husband is very much - he's going no matter what so expect us to still go. He's an essential worker so wants the vacation. I'll be checking with him with the news though.

Silver linings:
1. My OCD on my planning might be forced to relax. We'll likely utilize QS more. If I can't get reservations then maybe I won't rush or the FOMO will be less.
2. Less money would be spent if I can't get our reservations back; possibly no droid and light-saber costs.
3. We'll be Ohio and in FL.

I definitely share a lot of OPs too. Etsy has been great with Disney fabrics for masks. I have Mickey and got my husband Marvel which have gotten a lot of comments.
 
Reading the announcements this morning - I think based on what I am reading - folks are likely going to be able to have a great experience if they go in July/August. They are CLEARLY thinking low capacity. They can't keep all that existing stuff (FP+/ADRs) in place and manage the social distancing - so its clear they are serious about that. To me - it was all good news. And for me - the shorter park hours are fine - those hours are about all I can really handle - sleep is great on vacation, too. The parks, restaurants, buses, everything - has simply been too crowded at Disney for years now. Based on what I'm reading - if I was at no risk/minimal from COVID - I'd be chomping at the bit to go!!! (Sadly, I'm high risk and it will be some time before I get to go on a non-local vacation.)
 
Two things come to mind:

CMs getting back to work.

Lower crowds. Even when we eventually move beyond capacity restrictions and social distancing, guests won't be rushing back to a place like WDW in the way they have this past decade for a variety of reasons (health, economic, operations, travel restrictions, etc). That kind of turnaround will take awhile.
 
OP, We are 100% behind you. We visit every year, and when this all started I had a daughter in WDW on the DCP. Even back then I approached the family about what to expect when they open back up. We all decided that since we go every year , one year not at peak experience was still good to go. The main thing is like it has been posted, the crowds will be low. Dining reservations will be made 60 days out now. Really, the FP issue is no big deal to us. We rarely use it anyway. The main thing is, the situation is going to be how your outlook is.
 
Hi everyone,

I am willing to find the silver lining bc I feel we won’t need fast passes with the virtual Ques and I believe they will 100%%%% add fast pass back once the parks are at full capacity and the coronavirus winds down.. which I personally believe will be mid fall .. feel free to disagree.. I just think stuff with Disney changes a lot and u have to think that way.

my concern is will my July trip be cancelled? I have tickets and pop century booked July 23-29...will I be cancelled on? I’d love opinions.. this keeps me up at night lol.
 
Our silver lining is that we normally do short “long weekend” trips on an almost monthly basis with our APs, and even staying on site we are never able to get FPs for the headliners since our trips are so short. No FPs means maybe we’ll actually get to ride FoP, MMRR, SDMT, etc on one of our trips with a decently short wait or a day-of FP or such.
 
OP, I'm sorry that your attempt to find the positive has been met with sour grapes.

I 100% get that people aren't happy. And there is nothing wrong with grieving your own plans. But honestly, if you don't care to join the silver lining train, stay at the station. Nobody is requiring you to comment, keep scrolling and let the OP keep her optimistic outlook.
Thank you. Yes, this post was meant for those still planning on going and choosing to have a good time and accepting some of the changes.
 

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