Princess Meg
Dreamer of Dreams
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2016
Hello and welcome to my first ever trip report…. admittedly a very dull trip report, the kind that has lots to read…but no pictures (Gasp). I’m a newbie to posting and can’t add pictures yet, but I’m trying to remedy that…. but have no patience so I am starting my trip report now anyway. Lol Sorry
On with the introductions….
Me: your average (at least on here…in real life this get plenty of eye rolls) Disney obsessed, scheming, uber planner, lover of all things “magical”, 40ish, dreamer who somehow managed to plan this trip with our very large family and can’t wait to share it with complete strangers (I tell my husband this is all completely normal Disney behavior)
G: my DH (Disney Husband right? My kids tare misguided and think it’s “Dear Husband” HA!) He’s newer to Disney only coming to understand my obsession AFTER we married 2 years ago (I of course secretly vetted him for susceptibility to optimal Disney programming prior to agreeing to marry him lol). He has now been to Disney 5 times and got brainwashed….no, programmed….no, persuaded…no, lead to believe….no, of his own brilliant thinking came to the conclusion that becoming annual pass-holders was a fantastic idea.
The rest of our motley crew consists of…get ready…it’s a lot….ready?.....our 6 kids, some of their significant others and our absolutely amazing granddaughter. We are blessed that our crazy crew (my 4 and his 2) get along like they have been part of the same family all of their lives (I’d have something goofy to say here, but honestly this fact still humbles me and makes me feel so blessed). So to simplify things they are P(25 oldest DD), E (24 DD), N (23 DS), A( 22 DS), his twin C (22 DS), and R (20 DD). Rounding out our Cast is P’s significant other D, their daughter lil P (4), and E’s significant other N (26). Phew…that’s a lot of people!!
How this trip came to be:
When we got married 2 years ago, we wanted a simple wedding on a beach. My only major request was that all 6 kids (significant others and grand-baby) all be there…the rest would just be icing on the cake (Mmmm….cake). We rented a large condo on Clearwater beach, picked a date when everyone was on break from school, scheduled travel, coordinated a beach wedding when everyone could be there and got married on a Wednesday afternoon during spring break…..yep, that’s right a Wednesday. But it gave everyone travel time and since I was really only worried about the kids all being there, I wasn’t too concerned with it needing to be on a weekend for anyone else. Well it all worked out, not only did we have an amazing wedding (which about 25 people made it to), but I was able to subtly plant “Disney seeds”. The kids had such an amazing time together that we began talking of a Family vacation. My kids have of course been Disney addicts their whole lives, so one small mention of Disney and they were off and running with the idea (score one for a life time of Disney Programming).
We agreed that two years would give everyone time to save and me just enough time to obsess as well as over plan. G and I said that we would cover lodging, but everyone else would be in charge of their own travel, food, and tickets (that’s a lot of money for 20 something year old’s and we knew the 2 years would be needed…( a little foreshadowing here…..some of them are not savers). Originally I wanted to stay in a DVC Grand Villa, but I really wanted lil P’s first trip to be at a memorable Disney Hotel and thought Animal Kingdom Lodge fit the bill….only to find out the Grand Villa’s were booked. I debated between Saratoga Springs Grand Villa or a 2 bedroom and separate studio at Animal Kingdom Lodge…and debated and debated then grand villas were gone at Saratoga Springs. Great, Decision made! We rented points and booked two separate reservations. One for the two bedroom and one for a studio.
We were doing great! Dates picked (December immediately after finals, but before Christmas) and approved by all necessary employers, rooms booked, airfare watch set up and Money being saved…right? Surely, they are all saving money, right? Nope.
Our first glitch came in the form of a very free-thinking lover of travel in the form of a 20-year-old. For her birthday (in October…two months prior to big family trip…. sounds close, right?) She decides she wants to go to New York. We live in the Midwest, this isn’t a quick day trip she’s talking here. She has cousins who live close to NYC that she can stay with and she announces that this is on her bucket list (no, nothing is wrong with her. She’s a millennial, she thinks she should tackle her bucket list now…you know while she’s young, can enjoy it, and has no money for it). For her birthday she wants airline tickets, not to Disney, but to NYC. Now I see a train wreck in the making here. My very non-millennial brain points out that having money for two trips close together will be impossible on her budget, getting time off for two trips will be difficult (and more taxing on said budget), she will have to pick and may not be happy with the consequences of her choice. She smiles and tells me how she has ALWAYS wanted to go to NYC, has been to Disney a bunch (gasp), doesn’t think she can save enough for Disney anyway (remember she has had two years…but saving is just now a real thing four months out), and has picked NYC. After many long conversations with G, tears, and failed reasoning with R, we buy her a birthday ticket to NYC. At this point I know the outcome of this and believe me when I say this will be one of the hardest life lessons I have ever had to sit back and watch unfold.
Sure enough, her trip to NYC was amazing, but she would not be joining us in Disney. She just didn’t have the money. This ultimately caused a lot of family strife as my extended family didn’t understand why we didn’t help her and have her come to Disney. It was hard and heart breaking, but with 6 kids all of whom struggled and saved, I could not do for one what I hadn’t done for all. So our trip would be one that was tinged with a bit of sadness.
Up Next: the part where we actually travel
On with the introductions….
Me: your average (at least on here…in real life this get plenty of eye rolls) Disney obsessed, scheming, uber planner, lover of all things “magical”, 40ish, dreamer who somehow managed to plan this trip with our very large family and can’t wait to share it with complete strangers (I tell my husband this is all completely normal Disney behavior)
G: my DH (Disney Husband right? My kids tare misguided and think it’s “Dear Husband” HA!) He’s newer to Disney only coming to understand my obsession AFTER we married 2 years ago (I of course secretly vetted him for susceptibility to optimal Disney programming prior to agreeing to marry him lol). He has now been to Disney 5 times and got brainwashed….no, programmed….no, persuaded…no, lead to believe….no, of his own brilliant thinking came to the conclusion that becoming annual pass-holders was a fantastic idea.
The rest of our motley crew consists of…get ready…it’s a lot….ready?.....our 6 kids, some of their significant others and our absolutely amazing granddaughter. We are blessed that our crazy crew (my 4 and his 2) get along like they have been part of the same family all of their lives (I’d have something goofy to say here, but honestly this fact still humbles me and makes me feel so blessed). So to simplify things they are P(25 oldest DD), E (24 DD), N (23 DS), A( 22 DS), his twin C (22 DS), and R (20 DD). Rounding out our Cast is P’s significant other D, their daughter lil P (4), and E’s significant other N (26). Phew…that’s a lot of people!!
How this trip came to be:
When we got married 2 years ago, we wanted a simple wedding on a beach. My only major request was that all 6 kids (significant others and grand-baby) all be there…the rest would just be icing on the cake (Mmmm….cake). We rented a large condo on Clearwater beach, picked a date when everyone was on break from school, scheduled travel, coordinated a beach wedding when everyone could be there and got married on a Wednesday afternoon during spring break…..yep, that’s right a Wednesday. But it gave everyone travel time and since I was really only worried about the kids all being there, I wasn’t too concerned with it needing to be on a weekend for anyone else. Well it all worked out, not only did we have an amazing wedding (which about 25 people made it to), but I was able to subtly plant “Disney seeds”. The kids had such an amazing time together that we began talking of a Family vacation. My kids have of course been Disney addicts their whole lives, so one small mention of Disney and they were off and running with the idea (score one for a life time of Disney Programming).
We agreed that two years would give everyone time to save and me just enough time to obsess as well as over plan. G and I said that we would cover lodging, but everyone else would be in charge of their own travel, food, and tickets (that’s a lot of money for 20 something year old’s and we knew the 2 years would be needed…( a little foreshadowing here…..some of them are not savers). Originally I wanted to stay in a DVC Grand Villa, but I really wanted lil P’s first trip to be at a memorable Disney Hotel and thought Animal Kingdom Lodge fit the bill….only to find out the Grand Villa’s were booked. I debated between Saratoga Springs Grand Villa or a 2 bedroom and separate studio at Animal Kingdom Lodge…and debated and debated then grand villas were gone at Saratoga Springs. Great, Decision made! We rented points and booked two separate reservations. One for the two bedroom and one for a studio.
We were doing great! Dates picked (December immediately after finals, but before Christmas) and approved by all necessary employers, rooms booked, airfare watch set up and Money being saved…right? Surely, they are all saving money, right? Nope.
Our first glitch came in the form of a very free-thinking lover of travel in the form of a 20-year-old. For her birthday (in October…two months prior to big family trip…. sounds close, right?) She decides she wants to go to New York. We live in the Midwest, this isn’t a quick day trip she’s talking here. She has cousins who live close to NYC that she can stay with and she announces that this is on her bucket list (no, nothing is wrong with her. She’s a millennial, she thinks she should tackle her bucket list now…you know while she’s young, can enjoy it, and has no money for it). For her birthday she wants airline tickets, not to Disney, but to NYC. Now I see a train wreck in the making here. My very non-millennial brain points out that having money for two trips close together will be impossible on her budget, getting time off for two trips will be difficult (and more taxing on said budget), she will have to pick and may not be happy with the consequences of her choice. She smiles and tells me how she has ALWAYS wanted to go to NYC, has been to Disney a bunch (gasp), doesn’t think she can save enough for Disney anyway (remember she has had two years…but saving is just now a real thing four months out), and has picked NYC. After many long conversations with G, tears, and failed reasoning with R, we buy her a birthday ticket to NYC. At this point I know the outcome of this and believe me when I say this will be one of the hardest life lessons I have ever had to sit back and watch unfold.
Sure enough, her trip to NYC was amazing, but she would not be joining us in Disney. She just didn’t have the money. This ultimately caused a lot of family strife as my extended family didn’t understand why we didn’t help her and have her come to Disney. It was hard and heart breaking, but with 6 kids all of whom struggled and saved, I could not do for one what I hadn’t done for all. So our trip would be one that was tinged with a bit of sadness.
Up Next: the part where we actually travel