Our Thanksgiving Trip-It was like herding cats! 7/16-FINAL THOUGHTS ARE DONE!!!!

[Bloodhound]

So are the final thoughts posting soonish?

 

[mom2mek]

So are the final thoughts posting soonish?

Yeah, should be coming right up...working on them now.
Thanks for the friendly reminders!

Sara

 

[mom2mek]

Whoa! I just typed this sucker up and it is LOOOONNNNGGGG! So in order to thwart boredom, I wil be inserting a few pics. Please note that they will have nothing to do with what I am actually talking about at the time, just stuck in to make it more visually interesting! Even with that, you might want to pour yourself a drink and make yourself comfortable...this might take a couple of posts!

Deep Thoughts are here! :
A conclusion is simply the place where you got tired of thinking.

Yes, finally, I'm gonna post these so called “final thoughts” and call this thing COMPLETE! Woo-hoo! Ten months after after starting my pre-trip, and almost a full 8 months after returning from the trip! I actually copied my report into Word and it was like 700 pages long! Yikes! Of course, that’s with pics and all, but still…Shawn said it’s like I wrote a novel! Oh, ok…final thoughts. Where to begin, where to begin?
Hmmm....well,

This trip was wonderful. That's it. Good night.






Just kidding.

The Final Thoughts

First of all, let me thank all of you readers and/or lurkers for letting me share and relive (and um, ramble about) our wonderful adventure of a trip with you. I had no idea that writing a report would take me as long as it did, and really never intended for it to go on this long, but once it got started it was a lot of fun and now that it’s over, I can say that I am glad I did it. While writing the report was a time consuming venture, it was an enjoyable task; one that I originally decided to do for my own amusement; but turned out to be one that allowed me to relive all the moments and to give them more permanence in my memory. So, in other words, I’m grateful to have done it! I am a little sad that it is over - but it has allowed me to extend our vacation by many, many months! That's never a bad thing, is it?

As I hope you can tell, I love my family and I love me some Disney World! Put those two things together and I am in heaven.

Some of the moments were not so delightful....there were tears at times by yours truly... but I think with each trip I will get better and better at it and not put as much pressure on myself! Traveling with everyone was hard at times, but also amazing at times! I’ll definitely do group trips again and I’ll do smaller groups when I can as well. Maybe even just Shawn and I someday. I will enjoy them all, but just in different ways.

First off ...let me get this out of the way first....TGM! Love it. Without it, I would have never been able to do as much with such a large group of people (ahem, non-planning people) at a busy time of year and with so many children.

I will never go to Disney without TGM. Ever. Not even after 100 visits -there are plenty of very experienced Disney veterans on TGM who still find valuable information on there all the time.

I not only appreciate his Least Crowded Park Charts (which are worth way more than the $20 he charges as they are a lot more current than any book I could buy), I like the fact that his site is a “one voice” kind of thing. Sure, you can find tons of information on how to tour Disney elsewhere - there are tons of books, websites, The DIS, friends, family, CMs, yada yada yada, - all great! But his advice gives me a place to go where I can find answers to questions that are from a “single voice,” so to speak. Opinions from lots of people are great, but sometimes, I like having “one voice” to reference when I'm looking for an answer or suggestion. Makes things more clear to me.

I KNOW that we would have never done what we did without TGM. The longest we waited for any ride was 20 minutes or so at the Indy Speedway (and that was at a time NOT recommended by Mike, so can’t stick the blame on him for that).

That was the longest...With 16 people...During Thanksgiving week...With 8 kids under the age of 12...With most of us staying together the whole time!

What I like most is that he teaches you HOW to tour the parks. That way, when something goes wrong (and something ALWAYS goes wrong) you know how best to adjust your plans accordingly. So that’s my 2 cents on TGM…check it out…if you don’t like it (but you need to give it a fair shot), he will refund you the $20 – where else can you do that? You have nothing to lose, and so much to possibly gain.

So, after everything was said and done, Shawn and I both came to the conclusion that we would have no qualms about booking another Thanksgiving week trip at WDW. Here are some of our observations about the trip.

So, what did I learn?
What words of wisdom can I convey to you?
(Take them for what they are worth – if they help someone – great! If not, oh well – I just bored you. Sorry). Some are "time of year" specific, some are "planning/touring/tips" specific.


WEATHER
The weather we had was wonderful. Mid 70's nearly every day ... only a little bit of rain on Thanksgiving Day (a very little). I know weather can be unpredictable any time ... but you KNOW that summer is going to be H O T! I guess if it were my ONLY choice, I could do summer, but for now, while the kids are still young, I don’t mind if they miss out on a couple of school days.

PACKING
Yes, I way over-packed. Happens every time. But I like having options once I’m there, so for me, that’s just how it will be. I can however, cut back on what I packed for the kids. Having a washer and dryer in the house is really helpful for not packing as much, but I hate doing laundry on vacation. I just do it too much in real life, that I can’t fathom having to do it while on vacation unless absolutely necessary (2006 trip with the stomach flu – it did come in handy though).

This trip, Shawn did some laundry during the week and washed some of my clothes – ugh. He washed AND DRIED my jeans. With heat! Um, excuse me…I don’t like to wear high-waters! They are called boot cut for a reason, buddy. Those jeans have not been worn since that trip. Maybe I should have them made into capris! Sad… so very, very sad.

LODGING
Offsite vs onsite – so, in full disclosure, I can’t say I PREFER offsite to onsite as I have never stayed onsite as an adult, so in good conscious I cannot say that offsite is better; however, I do feel like I can offer up my opinion on how being offsite worked for us as a whole, and particularly as a group of 16!

Sidenote: I do feel that I CAN offer my opinion on OFFSITE HOTEL vs. OFFSITE HOUSE though. If you’re thinking that staying “offsite” means an offsite hotel, then you are missing out on the huge rental house market. If I’m gonna be offsite, it will be in a house. We stayed at an offsite hotel in 2002, and it was fine, but If I’m going to be cramped in a hotel room, it might as well be at Disney. Where I think a lot of people compare incorrectly, is when they compare an "onsite" hotel to “offsite” anything – it’s not really comparing apples to apples! An offsite HOUSE is quite a difference than just saying “we are staying offsite” really leads you to believe.

Anyway, it’s great. We love it. I research the offsite homes extensively and have not been disappointed on either trip. Although we did like the 2006 house better than this one, but we had some extenuating circumstances this trip (needed 8 bedrooms and the ability to bring small pets. Those two things can really limit your search. LOL).

Anyways, we love staying in a house. It’s cheaper and you have a lot more room. We love the kitchen even though, as a whole, we don’t cook while on vacation. We did cook Thanksgiving day brunch and that was really nice. The rest of the kitchen was used for boiling medical equipment, snacking and breakfasts before leaving for the day, making large pots of coffee, and storing a lot of cold stuff like drinks, fruit, cheese, etc, etc…. I think my brother and his family were able to make a couple of meals for their kids when they returned to the house earlier than the rest of us, though. So again, a very nice feature, that kitchen.

We enjoy walking outside the back door to our own private pool and being able to watch the kids swim while in our PJs and drinking a cup of coffee or a mimosa! All this, while saving money and having 5 times the space! LOVE IT!

It makes trips back to Disney easier because I know Shawn would go a little stir crazy in a hotel room with 3 children. Heck, with one child he would turn into a grumpy old man real fast.

It’s nice to be able to put the kids in bed and still stay up and talk, watch TV, play board games with eachother and get a game plan for the next day’s events. Maybe when my kids are older (and when I have a larger bank account) I can try a resort stay – but really being on the monorail would be where I would want to be and that is not happening any time soon.

Seeing the MK through my window at the Contemporary, might make me not go as stir crazy with the kiddos right under my feet all week! I don't know and I don’t think I will be finding that out anytime soon.

Continued in next post...

 

[mom2mek]

TRANSPORTATION
Staying offsite obviously meant we needed a car to go back and forth to the parks. But even if I stayed onsite I would still have a car. I just know my husband, and I know that it would drive him crazy to wait for a bus when going to a park, then boarding a bus with children, bags, strollers, etc, etc…and then riding a crowded bus at the end of the day to get back. It would put him in a grumpy mood, which then would put me in a grumpy mood. So we will continue to stick with a car unless we ever go to Disney without kids and/or stay on a monorail resort. Well, even then, he would still want to have a car. Just easier for us. Husband happy = wife and kids happy. Usually.

CROWDS
Well, with 16 of us, we were a crowd in and of ourselves, but the crowds overall, although definitely present, didn't really have that much of an effect on us. We planned our schedules to coincide with TGM’s least crowded days – only straying from his advice on our DHS day (and could tell a big difference). We also tried to dine at the least crowded times, which worked well – especially with a large group.

I tried to mentally prepare myself for lines that you can’t predict or really plan around… like lines for the bathrooms, lines for trams and monorails, lines at the gift shops, etc, etc…so those weren’t too awful since I prepped myself ahead of time. Although sometimes bathroom breaks with a lot of girls took WAY longer than I ever could have imagined. Note - if you are planning a large trip with many girls….make time for much longer than anticipated bathroom stops! And try to not use the bathrooms inside the restaurants whenever possible…on the whole, they are way smaller than the park bathrooms, so you will wait longer to use them (i.e. Akershus, Crystal Palace to name a couple).

GROUPS
No matter who you are and how big/small your group is, everyone will always have a different idea of fun. Letting people go on about “their” kind of fun is very freeing. And if some don't know what to do, having them tag along with your plan is also great, as long as they don't complain about it. That’s when it should be time for them to go and have their “own” fun, because apparently what they thought they wanted to do turned out not to be!

I think that trying to keep any group together all day, no matter what the size, is asking for trouble. It will inevitably turn into one of those

“Uh-oh". Can we say "fed up, and generally not happy” moments?​

Not just between my sister (whom I adore) and myself, but even with Shawn (whom I also adore) and I. We had those moments…you know the kind of days where you just can’t communicate with each other, no matter what? And no one is really saying what they really want to do, so everybody winds up all irritated with one another? There are other people out there that this happens to, right? Right? I hope so. Just know that you will need to break up into different groups to make everyone happy – usually! And try your best, to explain that to your group ahead of time so that it doesn't seem as if you are "deserting" them.


FOOD SERVICE
Overall, we didn't experience long waits for our ADR's, and service was quick at the counter service restaurants as long as we dined early (ahem, Pizzafari at 12:30 with a group of 16 – not a good idea ).

Eating early also allows for more flexibility:
Arrive early and want to be seated? Ok.
Have one more than what your ADR is for? Probably do-able.

I don’t think that would be the case during a prime meal time, but dinner ADR for 4:30 - usually the CMs can allow some more flexibility.

However, don't “dream” any ADR into something that is so special it must be crammed into an already too crowded day. It just isn’t. Truly. Some things just look better on paper. Go back to the house or hotel room and eat some snacks or grab a hotdog – the kids might even appreciate that even more. If it’s a "not to miss" thing (like CRT) plan your day so that it is not an afterthought (as in oh yeah, now we need to go to dinner at CRT, let’s drag all these tired, grumpy kids up there and make them enjoy it!) Make it your “rope drop” (and by rope drop I mean, make it a priority). If it’s that important to you, don’t expect tired children with bad attitudes to experience it the way you have envisioned.

PHOTOPASS CD
Do it.
Preorder it.
We loved it.

Try telling the photopass photographers that you have preordered it – they tend to click more pics if they know you have already “bought” them. (didn't do this but I will remember it for next time)

FASTPASS
Ahhh…what a blessing! How to use fastpasses effectively – priceless! Nothing is guaranteed to cheer my husband and kids up faster than passing 1000 waiting people and walking straight onto an attraction. I think sometimes that process thrilled them as much as the attractions themselves.

Only thing that didn’t work well was when our group wasn’t on the “same page” as far as when to get to the parks, etc, so that we weren’t all able to get FPs at the same time. This really only came into play on our MK day and our Epcot day, and in the end it worked out alright, but mostly because we could get FPs for the little ones who were too short to ride, and then use them for those who weren’t able to get their FP with the rest of the group.

Fastpass worked wonderfully, but those FP times definitely get pushed back much quicker in the day during a busy week, so get there early.
Speaking of early…

ROPE DROP
Do them. They make a world of difference. No real shocker there. Don’t follow a late night out with one, though. And keep in mind when planning, that sometimes you think 8:30 or 9:00 PM isn’t late, but really, by the time you add in travel time, changing into PJs, brushing teeth and/or bathing, it turns into a later night than you thought. It’s hard to get up early when you do that. And I truly believe getting there early (and this is coming from a night owl) is definitely the way to go on most days.

I love Disney at night, so I just have to plan for some days to NOT do RD, but when you only have a week…well, that gets hard. Just try to stagger them, if you can. Your kids will be grateful, as will you.

Sometimes, during the planning stages, you think your kids need to see everything (I know I do), because I never know when it is that I will be going back, but that logic is not always right. Kids need some downtime. Even if they don’t say it. I will try to heed this advice myself when we go back on another trip.

Continued in next post (told ya it was long...)

 

[mom2mek]

PLANNING
Sometimes during the planning stages, our imaginations take over and the vision we create in our head is almost always more perfect than what the reality will end up being. I read someone’s description (forgive me – I don’t remember who said this) of it as “experiencing a Disney vacation in our minds while sitting at our computers, is kind of like reading the book; whereas, experiencing a Disney vacation in person, is kind of like seeing the movie. It’s not disappointing, it’s just that our trip to Disney was full of one thing that my Disney imagination was not – reality.

In my Disney imagination, there were no tired feet, no people stopping in the middle of Main St so that you have to dodge and weave your way around them, no whining children (of mine anyway), no waiting for the 20 minute bathroom stop…etc, etc…Yet, shocker...the real Disney has ALL of that.

Reality checks, I have learned, are the best thing you can do when planning your trip. Do people really plan for themselves, or do they plan a trip for someone who is 30 lbs lighter, 10 years younger, and traveling with the perfect family? At some point you need to plan for reality.

Acknowledge the fact that there will be tired children (and adults) – so that you can try to do things to prevent it (take a break when needed); acknowledge that there will be overwhelming moments, so that you can get away from them. If you ignore it when planning, it will throw you off your game, and be much harder to deal with it in reality.

To put it in perspective, I’m going to remember things like how I would never dream of taking my 3, 5, and 7 year olds with me all day on errands and then take them out to dinner at a nice restaurant in town with family that is coming by for a visit and expect good behavior. Nor would I bring their Dad on all of the errands and then take him to dinner...unless I was prepared for him to consume mass alcoholic beverages!

Would I do that? Of course not! That little tidbit will remind me of what I need to keep in perspective when planning a trip to Disney.
Plan for reality! Everything takes time.

TOURING
Study a good map before you go. Any time that you can get out of the main traffic flow – try to do so. Do not underestimate how crowded the main routes will be, or underestimate the stress of constantly dodging and weaving through the strollers and wheelchairs and scooter-thingies! If you have a big group, this will be especially trying on your patience and otherwise good-natured attitude. Try to find back ways for things. The more alternate ways you know how to get somewhere, the better.

It you can do a few extra things, and still be smiling, great!! But, don’t try to cram too much in! If you are moving healthy boundaries to fit more in, you are in danger of creating memories that you did not intend to create. Again, plan for reality. Everything takes time.

I like to plan. It’s in my blood. At least with Disney. However, as good as "ride order" lists feel when you get/make them, they are useless without understanding the foundations on which they were determined. Sure-- having an order in your hand may make today's stress go away. But-- then Emily falls down and skins her knee, or the ride goes down, or your timing to get from one thing to another is way off, and BAM - your list is useless, and you have to pull together a new plan-- on the spot. That happened, pretty much every day of our trip and I don’t think that that is the exception – I think that’s the “rule.”

I’m not saying I don’t go without a plan. I always have a plan. But – A plan is only a point from which to deviate! And the plan is the culmination of lots of reading. I know the WHY behind where I am going, and I know what I should try to do WHEN (not IF) it gets messed up!

It’s kind of like homework and tests. Don’t just copy someone else’s homework. It’s nice to have a ride order filled in by someone else, but when the “test” comes (i.e. your trip), you realize that you truly don’t know the material!

Being the only planner in the group, people would always look at me to ask what they should do next. I’ll admit it, I was nervous…I didn’t feel like I knew what to do half the time. Now looking back we did fairly well and I think my “studying” paid off! So try to understand the "why’s" behind touring the park in a certain way. It takes longer to do this, but you will be very grateful when that day arrives (and for me it was Day 1 about 30 minutes after RD!)

FINAL final thoughts:

I’ll finish this thing by saying that these kids of mine…well, they just make it so easy for me to smile. I just love them to pieces. And I love the fact that they are developing a love (ok, ok.… obsession.…call it what you will) for Disney World just like their mama. I’m hoping that when they are older and have their own children, that they might find the same joy in traveling to this wonderful place just like I enjoy it so much with them. So, for that I say…

Thanks, Walt for this wonderful gift.

I look forward to the next time we travel to the World and experience new things and see familiar details, but through fresh eyes. I hope that each trip to Disney brings happiness to those who are there and I hope that you can find something in our adventure, that will enable you to have a magical trip to that wonderful place. Thanks for reading my ramblings and for all your kind words. It truly was a pleasure.

Magic Moments and Things I’m Just Generally Thankful For:

* Finding TGM and using his info, charts, and forums to plan a great trip
* Seeing the amazing Christmas decorations in the parks and the resorts
* Making it to the MK in time for opening ceremonies – NEVER thought that would happen
* Experiencing the BBB for the first time
* Michael being selected to fight Jack Sparrow
* Our wonderful meals – most notably we loved the food at the Crystal Palace, the atmosphere of the Sci-Fi, and the homespun Thanksgiving meal at the Trail’s End. Chef Mickey’s, Akershus, WCC, and the Garden Grill were all fantastic as well
* Filling up a whole train (almost) on Big Thunder Mountain with almost our entire party.
* My niece calling Dopey “one of the warts” when she saw him in the DHS parade
* My great drink at the Sci-Fi – the "Space Invaders" Margarita
* Watching the kids try to all cram into the Disney double stroller!\
* Enjoying the Castle being lit up – truly a magical sight
* Watching the kids play and interact with their daddies and Pop-Pop during Dive Quest at Epcot.
* Stopping in the street during the Osborne lights and watching the kids glow and dance around in their own little world
* Listening to the Candlelight Processional for the first time ever and tearing up during the singing of the Hallelujah Chorus
* The CM at the GF who found my niece’s little tiny bell in the bushes and saved it for her for when we returned back from Ft. Wilderness
* Our great Disney Thanksgiving shirts that Shawn made – they were great and I wished we had matching ones for more of our days

And, most notably…
* Some amazing friends whom I would have never met had it not been for the DIS (you know who you are)
* Shawn, who understands why I love Disney, and considers my obsession endearing
* And lastly…my kids, who make every trip fun and memorable with their contagious laughter

I’m sure many of you have seen this before, but I truly love this Disney commercial – I think that’s why we all have such a love for Disney over other theme parks, it’s just so deeply connected to this one man’s dream. And wow, what a dream!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4S213qVZFN8&feature=related



Holy Moly! I’m done!

Mom2mek out!

 

[mkluvsmickey]

Fabulous Sara! I am teary eyed after watching that commercial (again) and reading the final, final thoughts.

I totally agree with your "plan for reality" statement - so true. It is so easy to have such high expectations that there is no chance of meeting.

I'm so glad you wrote your report and that I got to know you through it.

Hopefully you will have many more Disney trips in your future and many more trip reports for us to read.

Oh, and I think you've sold me on TGM. I will probably sign up in August.

(loved seeing some of your pictures again in your final thoughts too)

(i'm kinda sad to see this done)

(see ya around )

 

[ProudMommyof2]

Wow- as usual you have a great knack for putting into words what we all seem to feel. I never thought about it before, but you are so right about the difference btwn the trip we imagine and the one we experience.

Keep us updated when you plan your next trip!

 

[kaysmommie]

Sara,
Those were the best final thought ever . So much good advice and I'm sure I will be using some of those tips in October. I have never thought to plan for the things that go wrong and get kind of annoyed when they continually go wrong some days. I guess I should alwyas have a plan B . Anyway great writing and sad your trippie is finally done. I enjoyed getting to know you and your family through your amazing trip. Are you going to write another one for October? I probably will if life isn't too hectic.

Nichole

 

[princessjv]

You hit it...right in the hearts of all of us Disney dreamers. Bravo! For a wonderful ending to a wonderful capture of your Thanksgiving trip. Bravo!

I look forward to meeting you this coming Dec. Thank you for helping me plan my very own Holiday time Disney vacation. You helped me in in many wonderful ways.

p.s. I stayed up last night as you were posting, reading along...trying to get to the end. I feel asleep, before the last post. I had your screen up, kept refreshing the page and a podcast playing on the laptop, which was placed upon my chest...until early this am, when I woke to go potty.

 

[mistydoodles]

Wow, I can't believe it is over. I am sad to see it end. You did a fabulous job and I truly enjoyed your updates.

Reading your trip has really helped me plan for our first Thanksgiving trip this Thanksgiving. I really appreciate it and enjoyed it so much.

I can't wait until your next trip, whenever that is.

 

[queenof3]

Thank you so much for all of your tips and most of all for the great report! I loved reading it! Thanks for sticking with it!

 

[mom2mek]

Fabulous Sara! I am teary eyed after watching that commercial (again) and reading the final, final thoughts.

I totally agree with your "plan for reality" statement - so true. It is so easy to have such high expectations that there is no chance of meeting.

I'm so glad you wrote your report and that I got to know you through it.

Hopefully you will have many more Disney trips in your future and many more trip reports for us to read.

Oh, and I think you've sold me on TGM. I will probably sign up in August.

(loved seeing some of your pictures again in your final thoughts too)

(i'm kinda sad to see this done)

(see ya around )

Awww...thanks Michelle! It's still hard to believe that I have met some fabulous people, many of which I feel are really good, deep-down-in-your-heart friends, through this report - who would have thought that a year ago? I'm glad you liked my report, and I will be seeing you around as well!

Wow- as usual you have a great knack for putting into words what we all seem to feel. I never thought about it before, but you are so right about the difference btwn the trip we imagine and the one we experience.

Keep us updated when you plan your next trip!

Thanks so much for reading. I think we planners can be really hard on ourselves if things don't go exactly as we planned. We have to stop that!

Sara,
Those were the best final thought ever . So much good advice and I'm sure I will be using some of those tips in October. I have never thought to plan for the things that go wrong and get kind of annoyed when they continually go wrong some days. I guess I should alwyas have a plan B . Anyway great writing and sad your trippie is finally done. I enjoyed getting to know you and your family through your amazing trip. Are you going to write another one for October? I probably will if life isn't too hectic.

Nichole

Yes, A Plan B is a good idea, Nichole. We should all learn to set "different" expectations...not necessarily "lower" or "worse", but just "different". That way it's not such a surprise when things change/worsen/don't go as we think they should! Thanks for reading and for all the kind comments. Hope to be able to meet you soon.

You hit it...right in the hearts of all of us Disney dreamers. Bravo! For a wonderful ending to a wonderful capture of your Thanksgiving trip. Bravo!

I look forward to meeting you this coming Dec. Thank you for helping me plan my very own Holiday time Disney vacation. You helped me in in many wonderful ways.

p.s. I stayed up last night as you were posting, reading along...trying to get to the end. I feel asleep, before the last post. I had your screen up, kept refreshing the page and a podcast playing on the laptop, which was placed upon my chest...until early this am, when I woke to go potty.

Thanks Jen! That is too funny about staying up late to read this thing. I was actually writing this (through very groggy eyes) and before I could finish that last little section I fell asleep (you know how it is when you tell yourself "don't fall asleep, don't fall asleep" so then it is in your mind, and you fall asleep? That's what happened). When I woke up, my post wasn't on the screen anymore! I don't know if I hit a button that made it disappear or what! I had done it in Word, but all the smilies, spacing, etc...had to be redone. Ugh. But I was bound and determined to get it done! LOL. I'm glad you liked the report, and thanks for reading it and posting. That makes it all worthwhile. It'll be great to meet you in December as well.

Wow, I can't believe it is over. I am sad to see it end. You did a fabulous job and I truly enjoyed your updates.

Reading your trip has really helped me plan for our first Thanksgiving trip this Thanksgiving. I really appreciate it and enjoyed it so much.

I can't wait until your next trip, whenever that is.

Thanks Misty! I'm glad you liked it and I hope it was helpful! Have a great time over Thanksgiving - it truly is a great time of year to go! Just plan for "reality" and you will have a magical time. LOL.

Sara

 

[mom2mek]

Thank you so much for all of your tips and most of all for the great report! I loved reading it! Thanks for sticking with it!

Thanks so much for reading! I'm glad you liked it!

Sara

 

[lovebuzzandwoody]

Sara! You really got me with the list of magic moments! And then that commercial... I've never seen it! I was totally crying!

You really did a fantastic job with your TR! I think you may have another calling in life.... it's called author of Disney tour books! I'd buy them! Move over Birnbaum!

And TGM... I think that deserves a better look from me.

Thank you so much for sharing with us. It was wonderful!

 

[mom2mek]

Sara! You really got me with the list of magic moments! And then that commercial... I've never seen it! I was totally crying!

You really did a fantastic job with your TR! I think you may have another calling in life.... it's called author of Disney tour books! I'd buy them! Move over Birnbaum!

And TGM... I think that deserves a better look from me.

Thank you so much for sharing with us. It was wonderful!

Sorry it made you cry Nicole. It did me too, so I thought I would share in my sappiness! Thanks for the compliments! I don't think I could author anything - people would die waiting for me to finish it! But thanks, anyway!

Sara

 

[OurDogCisco]

Sara... what an awesome trip report... I'm so sad to see it end...

We'll be staying off-site for the 1st time this thanksgiving as well. So, I loved to read your trip report...

Can't wait until your next vacation...

Tina

 

[mom2mek]

Sara... what an awesome trip report... I'm so sad to see it end...

We'll be staying off-site for the 1st time this thanksgiving as well. So, I loved to read your trip report...

Can't wait until your next vacation...

Tina

Thanks Tina! I'm glad you liked the report. I hope you found it helpful in some ways, or at least amusing! Have a great Thanksgiving in the World! It truly is a beautiful time to be at Disney. Where are you staying offsite? In a house, condo, hotel? We really found it worked best for our group, so I hope you find the same. Have a great time!

Sara

 

[lam712]

Sara, thanks for sharing your trip and your beautiful family with us! I have really enjoyed every moment and I am sorry to see it all wrapped up. Your entire family has great memories that they can continue to share for years. Your photos will help the younger ones remember- my grown kids remember many details that I have forgotten from trips when they were pretty young and the photos help fill in the blanks (for all of us ).
Lisa

 

[mom2mek]

Sara, thanks for sharing your trip and your beautiful family with us! I have really enjoyed every moment and I am sorry to see it all wrapped up. Your entire family has great memories that they can continue to share for years. Your photos will help the younger ones remember- my grown kids remember many details that I have forgotten from trips when they were pretty young and the photos help fill in the blanks (for all of us ).
Lisa

Thanks Lisa! I am glad you found my report and I wish you a very happy trip in another month or so! Woo-hoo! That will fly by! Are you going to do a report? Did I ask you that already? Well, you should. I'd love to hear all about your trip - I am sure it will be great! Keep in touch.

Sara

 

[starrzone]

Yay! I so enjoyed reading the story of your busy extended family vacation. I LOVE traveling with groups and have definitely gotten some good tips from your story. Hope to hear more about your future travels!