10 Person Orlando Trip! (am I Crazy?) Yes!

[klacey1]

*WARNING: My pictures won't embed, so I just have the links, feel free to click on them! I tried doing the img thing, but it wouldn't work!*
I don’t think most people start their pre-trip reports in March—when their trip is in August, but we’ve just finished making arrangements for our vacation, and I’m so excited I had to share!
We’re leaving from the Westchester Airport in White Plains, NY on August 20, and returning August 25th. We’re staying offsite because we have plans to visit Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, and possibly Sea World. Our hotel is the Doubletree Castle—two years ago, I took my daughter and niece to Orlando and we remembered seeing the Castle from the highway. We all thought it was the neatest looking thing; because I work for a hotel company that owns a Hilton, I am able to get $39 per night rates at any Hilton hotels around the country (HUGE vacation perk!). Anyway, we looked at the website and TripAdvisor and it seemed as nice on the inside as on the outside, so I booked three rooms.
http://images.hotel-rates.com/hotels/ORL_CSTL-exter-1.jpg
The “we” on this trip is a tad complicated. There is me, a hotel manager with two lovely children, 19 and 20. Only my 19 year old, my daughter Kylie (a college freshman!), will be coming on the trip. Here is a picture of the two of us at her high school graduation (boo hoo!): http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b8dd05b3127cceb6c2411c1af800000026102AcNGbdk2cMl
Then there’s my sister-in-law Michelle and her two daughters (9 and 11), Sarah and Emily
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b8dd05b3127cceb6c241019bd500000026102AcNGbdk2cMl
Kylie and Michelle
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b8dd05b3127cceb6c241f41a1000000026102AcNGbdk2cMl
Kylie and Emily on Christmas
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b8dd05b3127cceb6c241141af000000025102AcNGbdk2cMl
Kylie, Emily (far right), and Sarah (far left).
And then there’s my other sister-in-law, Diana, and her daughter, Andrea (11, in the center of the above picture), her son, Devin (8), and her two nieces, Natalia (13) and Catalina (12). (Sorry no pictures available on Diana/Devin/Natalia/Catalina!)
So that’s 10 people—3 moms, 1 young adult, and 6 kids. Do I feel sorry for Kylie? You bet! She’s been the resident baby-sitter since she was 12, and all of these kids idolize her.
On the sad note, my mom (Nana to most of these kids) was supposed to join us on this trip. She had come with us when my kids were 8 and 9, and was supposed to two years ago, when I just took Kylie and Andrea. However, her sister was very sick, and she wanted to be there “just in case.” (Which turned out to be the right thing ) This year, she was all set to go with us, but her company is doing major downsizing and she fears she might lose her job, so she doesn’t want to spend the money. I have offered frequently to pay, but she keeps refusing. I hope to break her down—cross your fingers, everyone, and I’ll keep you updated!
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b8dd05b3127cceb6c241059bd100000026102AcNGbdk2cMl
My mom and her granddaughter at graduation.
As you might suspect, with 10 people, I already forsee many, many problems. Kylie is a huge planner. She has tons of Orlando guidebooks and is the one who will be waking up at 6 to leave at 7 or 8 to get to all of the parks a half hour before they open. She fears, justifiably, that the other 9 people will not be right behind her first thing in the morning.
We also have issues with the parks. All of the kids, Kylie, and SIL Michelle are huge Magic Kingdom fans. SIL Diana and I are not, but we can go shopping or something that day. There will definitely be some splitting up—Kylie will probably take the more adventurous kids to Space Mountain, etc. I’ve only met Natalia (who speaks very little English) and Catalina a couple of times, and I’ve never been with Devin to an amusement park, so I’m not sure of their “thrill” level. Andrea will go on anything as long as Kylie is with her, but Sarah and Emily are NOT thrill-seekers, and are especially afraid of “dark rides.”
Besides the obligatory Magic Kingdom, the kids want to go to a water park (Blizzard Beach seems to be the favorite), which none of the adults/Kylie want to do…who thinks we should give in?
Most of the non-first timers (Sarah, Emily, Michelle, Andrea, Kylie, and I) aren’t desperate to go to Sea World, but my mom thinks we should go for the first-timers (Diana, Devin, Catalina, and Natalia). What do you guys think?
Universal and Islands are a must—this will be a first time for everyone but Andrea, Kylie, and I. I just hope our non-thrill seekers will enjoy these parks. Emily has heard of Seuss Landing and is excited for that.
Kylie is VERY excited for Hollywood Studios. The last time we went, she was still a roller coaster wimp, and we were completely unknowledgeable about the park, so we only went on the Great Movie Ride (which we loved). She’s dying to go on Rock N Roller Coaster, and last summer, we went to Disney’s California Adventure and went on Tower of Terror, so both of us are excited for that again. Most of our group should enjoy Hollywood Studios, I think.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b8dd05b3127cceb6c2410a1aee00000026102AcNGbdk2cMl
This is our jacked picture of Kylie and I on the Tower of Terror in CA—she and I are in the 2nd row on the right, the first two in.
We want to do 5 parks in the five days that we have, including the first. We’re definitely hitting Magic Kingdom (most of us, anyway), Hollywood Studios, Islands of Adventure, and Universal Studios. We’re looking for a lighter park to do on that first day— Sea World seems like a fairly good idea because it’s not too much waiting in line, and it’s not a place you need to be at rope-drop. But, like I said, no one is really dying to go there. What do you guys think? Any suggestions?
I’ll probably be adding more plans, etc, as the time gets closer, but like I said, I was so excited, I had to jot some things down!

 

[Donald is #1]

Hi! If you have the time for Sea World, then I would definitely do it. I really enjoy that park even though it has been some time (ok let's be honest 6-7 years) since I have been there.

 

[klacey1]

*MORE INFO*

Here's some more pre-trip info...as to why going to Disney with 10 people might just end up being an issue.
We can start with the adults.
SIL Diana is a party animal. 40 going on 21. She loves going out dancing and partying. She's primarily excited for Pleasure Island. The two of us enjoy a good night out and a good bottle of wine. We're fairly good friends.
SIL Michelle, however, is more on the...calm side. More likely than not, strapping on a halter and dancing on PI is probably not on her Must-Do list. She and SIL Diana, though SIL's, are not close in anyway. I'm the link between the two, and I'm not sure how well we're going to...gel over the five nights. The kids want to hit up DTD and DisneyQuest at night, and the adults were going to be, well, adults (or more like 25 yro)! However, I don't know how into the "adult" activities SIL Michelle will be/how comfortable it'll be.
The kids will also be a bit...troubled. When Andrea found out that Sarah and Emily were going to be joining the vacation, her response was "Oh God." The three are cousins, and all are really good kids, but Sarah and Emily have been significantly more sheltered during their life, are afraid of a lot of rides/movies, and can be a bit "goody-two-shoes." Andrea is very "grown-up" and can get exasperated with anyone acting immature. Fights between the three will be inevitable during the vacation...unless anyone has any suggestions??
Then there's the matter of the other kids...Devin is a fairly happy-go-lucky, spoiled beyond all means kid. I don't think his mom (SIL Diana) has ever been said no to. This should be interesting at Disney...Overall, though, he gets along with most other kids.
The other two, Natalia and Catalina, are a bit of an interesting case. Natalia speaks very little English (she is from Colombia), mostly on her own accord. She could be learning in school but has an aversion to American culture...Lord knows what she'll think of Disney! Hopefully by then, she'll know more English...Andrea deems her bossy (they live together), and the few interactions I've had with her, she does seem bossy and a bit unpleasant. Catalina, on the other hand, is an absolute sweetheart. She is, however, an only child and will be on this trip without her parents...not sure how that'll pan out. Natalia is around Andrea/Devin everyday and has met Sarah and Emily a couple of times, and Catalina has also met Natalia once or twice and sees Sarah and Emily about once a year, so they're fairly familiar.
I'm just not quite sure how all of these people will act when thrown together for 5 nights!

 

[Donald is #1]

Ok, let's see my suggestions.

1) For you and your sisters-in-law, since I tend to be more like Michelle, I would suggest that maybe you do 1 (or some) nights as Diana and you like and then spend an equal number of nights planning something more to Michelle's liking. That way, she doesn't feel left out.

2) For the parks with all of the kids with different temperments, etc, how about splitting up at times within the same park? Also, how many cars will you have? For your daughter who likes to get to the parks early, can you set a time and tell everyone that we will be leaving at x. If you want to leave later, just call us on your cell phone when you get there. I went on a trip with my sister, brother-in-law, their kids (this is the sister & kids in my pre-trip report), and my brother-in-laws parents. I ended up spending about 1/2 of the time on my own and the rest of the time with them. On a couple of days we had definite plans together. On other days, we would each do what we felt like in the morning (usually different parks or I was there earlier than they were) and then I would call them and see where they were. I would then head over there. It really wasn't that hard. If we were in different parks, I would call them to find out which park they were in, then I would head to the park. Once I got to the park, I would call again and then they would tell me which attraction they were at. It was surprisingly easy to meet up with them.


3) Natalia, now she may be a problem. If you doesn't like american culture, how will she take Disney. Hmmm, does someone in the group Spanish so that she has someone to talk to? But if she is bossy and doesn't like the culture, I don't know what you can do.

 

[klacey1]

1) Thanks for the Sea World Advice-- we'll probably end up doing it! (To my chagrin!)
2) I hope we can plan roughly equal nights to my SIL's likings. Any suggestions for more quiet, less "partying" activities at Disney/surrounding areas w/o the kids?
3) We will have 2 cars, so I agree, we'll probably end up leaving at all different times. The only problem with that is that my SIL that will tend to lag is the one who does NOT want to drive at all in Orlando. Hopefully a "drive or leave at 8 am" will get her out of bed!
I think we will inevitably end up splitting up at the parks. What a nightmare at any ride-- "How many in this party?" "Uh...10." No way!
4) I am worried about Natalia, still, but four others on the trip are fluent in Spanish, so there will be no communications issues. I just hope she ends up having a good time.
So for now, the plan is Sea World (POSS!), Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Universal, and Islands of Adventure.
Another possibility is skipping Sea World and instead doing the first day at Universal/Islands (our shorter day...we'll get to FL around 11, and all checked in, etc. by 1 hopefully)...or would that be too much US/IOA?

 

[klacey1]

Another note, my mom HAS decided on accompanying us
So this trip will be 11 people full!
God save me!

 

[Donald is #1]

11 now! This will definitely be some trip.