LovetheVillians
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Oct 21, 2012
- Messages
- 41
Welcome to my little pre-journey to WDW. You might want to strap yourself in and grab a Dramamine, cause its gonna be a wild topsy-turvy ride
... and this is just the pre-trip report.
Let me introduce the players and why we are going to Disney. We found so many reasons to celebrate and are happy to be going, but my whole family is crazy. Seriously, LOL. You will see why, if you decide to keep reading. We are NOT a perfect little family, nor do we portray ourselves to be one.
This started as trip to take the grandbabies to Disney. It was going to be 11 of us taking this trip, but now there are 24, yes you read that right, 24 of our family members going to Disney. It didnt start out that many going and that is why I may need to self medicate by the end of this trip.
Im Sheila. The first pic is of me December 2010 and the 2nd is December 2011. Yes, that is 125 #s GONE. I could not have physically done Disney at 275 pounds. When I hit the 125 pounds lost mark, I declared that we would go to Disney.
Ray, my husband, is a 52 yo stay at home Grandpa. In 2009 he was diagnosed with an aggressive form or laryngeal cancer. He has been cancer free for 3 years. We are happy he is still around and celebrating that, too.
Brittney, DD23, plays on a roller derby team. I made her stop playing until after Disney, as she tends to break bones. She has all of my grace. The way our luck runs, she would break something right before we go.
Kris, is 27 and is Britts boyfriend. He has never been to Disney and plans on proposing while we are there.
Angie, DD21 and mom to our 10 month old granddaughter, Lillian Rose. She was born on Christmas day.
Heather, is DD27 but is legally my sister, (its a Jack Nicholson kinda thing) she was adopted and raised by my parents; she knows I am her biological mom. She is mom to 4yo Jadence, our granddaughter that doesnt know she is our granddaughter. She is an amazing 4 yo.
Then there was Cory, who WAS Heathers fiancé.
Last but not least my parents, Johnny and Jo. My dad is a severe diabetic that often forgets to eat. My mom has had both hips replaced and has pulmonary fibrosis. She WILL be riding a scooter! Watch your ankles, LOL. Mom reads all the menus and is focused on what we are eating ,when, and where.
All total, including babies, we had 11 of us going. It was a large party, but I had heard of larger, so I figured it would be manageable. If they could do it so could we. SILLY ME!! The other 13 people will be explained and added later.
So now that you have met the family. Ill summarize it up for you. I decided on Christmas day, when Lilly was born that we needed a trip to Disney. I took my girls back in 2001 and I had been once before that when I was 13. So we were definitely due for a trip.
I am all about one stop shopping and decided my Christmas gift for 2012 would be to take everyone to WDW. That meant no birthdays, valentines, anniversary, or any other gifts throughout the year to anyone. To my amazement, everyone agreed! AWESOME! So now we just had to decide on a date and start planning.
Ha-ha, easier said than done .. Lets break out the calendar.
As I touched on earlier, everyone in my family has their own set of issues, including me. One of my biggest issues is people. Yes, I said it. People. Most days I can tolerate them . from a distance. I have less tolerance for stupidity, the older I get. I do not do well in crowds at all.
Dont do well in crowds, huh? So lets go to Disney. That makes a lot of sense. I told you we were nuts.
So we start our research .
Number 1 on the list is low crowds, it is a must. Remember, I dont do well with crowds. After weeks of looking at everyones schedules and crowd calendars, we narrow it down to November 10-18th. It seems perfect, should be low crowds and cooler weather. It would also be cheaper that time of the year. I can do this.
Number 2 is where are we going to put 11 people? I crunched the numbers to stay on site, dining plans, transportation. WOW, what was I thinking offering to take everyone to WDW? I knew my girls couldnt afford it and my parents wouldnt want to spend that kind of money, but I also knew this would be my last shot to have everyone together for a once in a lifetime trip. My parents arent in the best of health. We wouldnt be able to do this again. I saw vacation homes mentioned somewhere. That will work! I was able to get a 7 bedroom 5 bath house with a pool, only 3 miles from Disney for 1/3 of what staying on site would have cost us. And when we start getting on each other nerves, as we have a tendency to do, everyone has their own room they can go to and shut the door. Problem solved.
Number 3. Food. What are we gonna feed all the people? I agreed to pay for one meal a day. They are on their own for the other two meals and snacks. They also have to pay for their own souvenirs and extras. This means I impatiently waited for my 180 day mark. We ended up with ADRs for Ohanas for dinner, Akerhus Princess breakfast, Crystal Palace for lunch, Hollywood & Vine for breakfast, Tusker House for breakfast, and the Hoop De Doo to finish it off.
Ok, so now we have dates and a plan.
I paid for the rental house, bought our tickets through Undercover Tourist, made our ADRs and started stalking the airfares.
Doesnt seem to bad now does it?
I had many miles that could be used on Southwest. We are flying into Tampa from Spokane, getting a rental car and driving into Orlando. I crunched all the numbers and seemed to get a better deal flying Delta in and Southwest out. Three of our flights were only $5 due to my Southwest rewards points. Total cost for flights, for 5 adults, was $1350.
My Mom, Dad, Heather, and Jadence will be driving from southeast Texas and meeting us there.
Everything is done. All I have to do now is sit back, relax, and read the boards and wait for the trip. Still doesnt seem so bad, huh? NOT!
Here is where things start getting a little crazy
Snag #1. Cory and Heather break up. So now we are down to 10 people. Thats ok. Heather finds out she is pregnant with TWINS and will be due before/during our trip. It is a high risk pregnancy, the twins are sharing the same sac. Big worries and concern here. Sadly, she lost them at 10 weeks.
Snag #2. My Aunt and her family are going to Disney next year. Aunt calls and asks if we have room in our vacation home. She has 3 adult children but is wanting to bring her son and his 2 yo. Sure, we have 2 extra rooms. My Aunt and cousin are hilarious and will keep you laughing until you wet your pants. The more the merrier. As soon as she posts on facebook that they are going, her other two children invite themselves. Um, its getting a little crowded in here. They have a total of 13 people going. Crisis averted and they get their own vacation home.
Snag#3. My DD21, decides she isnt ready to be a mom and leaves 5 month old baby Lilly with us. Our world just turned upside down. What the hell???? We didnt see that one coming. Our hearts were broken for both of them. After 3 months, she got her head together and came back home. Everything is gonna be ok.
Snag #4. DD27, DD23, & DD21 do not get along. We have the occasional moments of tolerance but that it about it. The fighting and bickering is pretty constant. I have warned each one that there had better be no fighting on this trip. I have no issue with making them go home immediately, and they know it. They will enjoy this trip together if it kills them.
Snag #5. Two weeks ago, I lost my job. Oh well, after all that has gone on lately, I needed a break. After Disney, Ill start looking for a new one.
We are so looking forward to our trip. We NEED this trip. You will have to stay tuned to see how all this works out. I know I left a lot out but this PTR is rambling and way too long.
Our schedule:
11/11/12 DTD- BBB and Ohanas for dinner
11/12/12 EP and Akershus Princess Breakfast, then F&W
11/13/12 MK and Crystal Palace for lunch, too bad no FLE
11/14/12 HS and I originally had and ADR at Hollywood & Vine for breakfast, I cancelled it.
11/15/12 AK and Tusker House for breakfast, then Hoop Dee Doo for dinner
Let me introduce the players and why we are going to Disney. We found so many reasons to celebrate and are happy to be going, but my whole family is crazy. Seriously, LOL. You will see why, if you decide to keep reading. We are NOT a perfect little family, nor do we portray ourselves to be one.
This started as trip to take the grandbabies to Disney. It was going to be 11 of us taking this trip, but now there are 24, yes you read that right, 24 of our family members going to Disney. It didnt start out that many going and that is why I may need to self medicate by the end of this trip.
Im Sheila. The first pic is of me December 2010 and the 2nd is December 2011. Yes, that is 125 #s GONE. I could not have physically done Disney at 275 pounds. When I hit the 125 pounds lost mark, I declared that we would go to Disney.
Ray, my husband, is a 52 yo stay at home Grandpa. In 2009 he was diagnosed with an aggressive form or laryngeal cancer. He has been cancer free for 3 years. We are happy he is still around and celebrating that, too.
Brittney, DD23, plays on a roller derby team. I made her stop playing until after Disney, as she tends to break bones. She has all of my grace. The way our luck runs, she would break something right before we go.
Kris, is 27 and is Britts boyfriend. He has never been to Disney and plans on proposing while we are there.
Angie, DD21 and mom to our 10 month old granddaughter, Lillian Rose. She was born on Christmas day.
Heather, is DD27 but is legally my sister, (its a Jack Nicholson kinda thing) she was adopted and raised by my parents; she knows I am her biological mom. She is mom to 4yo Jadence, our granddaughter that doesnt know she is our granddaughter. She is an amazing 4 yo.
Then there was Cory, who WAS Heathers fiancé.
Last but not least my parents, Johnny and Jo. My dad is a severe diabetic that often forgets to eat. My mom has had both hips replaced and has pulmonary fibrosis. She WILL be riding a scooter! Watch your ankles, LOL. Mom reads all the menus and is focused on what we are eating ,when, and where.
All total, including babies, we had 11 of us going. It was a large party, but I had heard of larger, so I figured it would be manageable. If they could do it so could we. SILLY ME!! The other 13 people will be explained and added later.
So now that you have met the family. Ill summarize it up for you. I decided on Christmas day, when Lilly was born that we needed a trip to Disney. I took my girls back in 2001 and I had been once before that when I was 13. So we were definitely due for a trip.
I am all about one stop shopping and decided my Christmas gift for 2012 would be to take everyone to WDW. That meant no birthdays, valentines, anniversary, or any other gifts throughout the year to anyone. To my amazement, everyone agreed! AWESOME! So now we just had to decide on a date and start planning.
Ha-ha, easier said than done .. Lets break out the calendar.
As I touched on earlier, everyone in my family has their own set of issues, including me. One of my biggest issues is people. Yes, I said it. People. Most days I can tolerate them . from a distance. I have less tolerance for stupidity, the older I get. I do not do well in crowds at all.
Dont do well in crowds, huh? So lets go to Disney. That makes a lot of sense. I told you we were nuts.
So we start our research .
Number 1 on the list is low crowds, it is a must. Remember, I dont do well with crowds. After weeks of looking at everyones schedules and crowd calendars, we narrow it down to November 10-18th. It seems perfect, should be low crowds and cooler weather. It would also be cheaper that time of the year. I can do this.
Number 2 is where are we going to put 11 people? I crunched the numbers to stay on site, dining plans, transportation. WOW, what was I thinking offering to take everyone to WDW? I knew my girls couldnt afford it and my parents wouldnt want to spend that kind of money, but I also knew this would be my last shot to have everyone together for a once in a lifetime trip. My parents arent in the best of health. We wouldnt be able to do this again. I saw vacation homes mentioned somewhere. That will work! I was able to get a 7 bedroom 5 bath house with a pool, only 3 miles from Disney for 1/3 of what staying on site would have cost us. And when we start getting on each other nerves, as we have a tendency to do, everyone has their own room they can go to and shut the door. Problem solved.
Number 3. Food. What are we gonna feed all the people? I agreed to pay for one meal a day. They are on their own for the other two meals and snacks. They also have to pay for their own souvenirs and extras. This means I impatiently waited for my 180 day mark. We ended up with ADRs for Ohanas for dinner, Akerhus Princess breakfast, Crystal Palace for lunch, Hollywood & Vine for breakfast, Tusker House for breakfast, and the Hoop De Doo to finish it off.
Ok, so now we have dates and a plan.
I paid for the rental house, bought our tickets through Undercover Tourist, made our ADRs and started stalking the airfares.
Doesnt seem to bad now does it?
I had many miles that could be used on Southwest. We are flying into Tampa from Spokane, getting a rental car and driving into Orlando. I crunched all the numbers and seemed to get a better deal flying Delta in and Southwest out. Three of our flights were only $5 due to my Southwest rewards points. Total cost for flights, for 5 adults, was $1350.
My Mom, Dad, Heather, and Jadence will be driving from southeast Texas and meeting us there.
Everything is done. All I have to do now is sit back, relax, and read the boards and wait for the trip. Still doesnt seem so bad, huh? NOT!
Here is where things start getting a little crazy
Snag #1. Cory and Heather break up. So now we are down to 10 people. Thats ok. Heather finds out she is pregnant with TWINS and will be due before/during our trip. It is a high risk pregnancy, the twins are sharing the same sac. Big worries and concern here. Sadly, she lost them at 10 weeks.
Snag #2. My Aunt and her family are going to Disney next year. Aunt calls and asks if we have room in our vacation home. She has 3 adult children but is wanting to bring her son and his 2 yo. Sure, we have 2 extra rooms. My Aunt and cousin are hilarious and will keep you laughing until you wet your pants. The more the merrier. As soon as she posts on facebook that they are going, her other two children invite themselves. Um, its getting a little crowded in here. They have a total of 13 people going. Crisis averted and they get their own vacation home.
Snag#3. My DD21, decides she isnt ready to be a mom and leaves 5 month old baby Lilly with us. Our world just turned upside down. What the hell???? We didnt see that one coming. Our hearts were broken for both of them. After 3 months, she got her head together and came back home. Everything is gonna be ok.
Snag #4. DD27, DD23, & DD21 do not get along. We have the occasional moments of tolerance but that it about it. The fighting and bickering is pretty constant. I have warned each one that there had better be no fighting on this trip. I have no issue with making them go home immediately, and they know it. They will enjoy this trip together if it kills them.
Snag #5. Two weeks ago, I lost my job. Oh well, after all that has gone on lately, I needed a break. After Disney, Ill start looking for a new one.
We are so looking forward to our trip. We NEED this trip. You will have to stay tuned to see how all this works out. I know I left a lot out but this PTR is rambling and way too long.
Our schedule:
11/11/12 DTD- BBB and Ohanas for dinner
11/12/12 EP and Akershus Princess Breakfast, then F&W
11/13/12 MK and Crystal Palace for lunch, too bad no FLE
11/14/12 HS and I originally had and ADR at Hollywood & Vine for breakfast, I cancelled it.
11/15/12 AK and Tusker House for breakfast, then Hoop Dee Doo for dinner
Since all but 2 on this trip are adults, they can always go off on their own to get away if needed.
