Sparrow the drama! Oct. 2-16 PTR

[pxefig]

Hi! This is my first PTR. I am just so excited for this vacation and wanted to share that excitment with some people who understand the thrill of planning!
Let me introduce the cast.
Starring:
Me. 31, Navy vet, former WDW cast member (1999-2001)
DH. 31, Navy vet. Not a huge Disney lover, but is an Epcot fan
BIL. 28 Brother-in-law. Air Force vet. He's always just along for the ride
FSIL 27. Future sister in law. Canadian. She will be proposed to during this trip (any cool engagement suggestions are welcome!)

Also starring:
DDI. Isobel is 7. Loves Cinderella, dancing and salads
DDG. Guinevere 5. Loves Rapunzel, Jake and the Neverland Pirates and dressing up
DS2. Robert. Doesn't talk much but is always up for adventures
DS1. Connor. Will be nine months at vacation. He's cute as a button on a teddy bear's nose!

Making guest appearences:
MIL, FIL, SILJ, BILT, DN1, BILB, SILA, SILB, BILN and assorted cousins releated to me through marriage

Up next: The pre-pre trip drama and the vacation setting (for now) ...

 

[pxefig]

This trip started out as DH and I going on a four-day cruise Oct. 9-13. We both served on an aircraft carrier in the Navy. We've been out for five years now, and it took that long for both of us to be willing to pay money to go back on a ship. I'm almost positive it will be more fun this time around! We have never been on a trip just the two of us. We got married at a justice of the peace while on deployment leave- no family wedding, no honeymoon, and any getaway since then has either been with kids or I've been pregnant.
We invited his favorite brother (BIL) and his girlfriend (FSIL) along, as well as my sister and hubby. My sis couldn't make it. FSIL is from Canada, so she wanted to have the trip be longer than 4 days to make the plane ride worth it. FSIL has never been to WDW, no one but me has been to Food and Wine and no one has been to Harry Potter at Universal. We booked the Dream with the plan of doing MNSSHP, F&W and MWHP after.
Then DH decides he needs more days so he can eat and drink one of EVERYTHING at F&W. I said I couldn't be away from DSC for that long (some days I think I won't be able to be away from him for the cruise). So, trying to come up with a solution to help me out, DH invites his parents and the kids still living at home (he's the oldest of 7) with us, so they can bring our kids for a pre-cruise vacation, then bring them home when we go on the cruise. MIL in turn went ahead and invited the rest of the grown children and their families, as well as her sister and all of her kids and grandkids. So the vacation for two has grown to 31!
Up next: Where are we going to put everyone?!

 

[pxefig]

At this point in the planning the vacation syands like this-me, DH< BIL and FSIL have the Disney vacation, cruise and four days after the cruise for MWHP, NASA and more F&W without kids. Everyone else has the trip at the beginning. The four of us and DSC are flying in Oct. 4, and everyone else driving in to arrive Oct. 4.

FIL is retired Air Force, so everyone was going to stay at Shades of Green. I have never stayed there before and it seemed easier to have everyone at the same resort. SILJ birthday is Oct. 3 and she decided she wanted to be at Disney on her birthday so everyone moved up a day. Then she decided that she didn't want to be in the car on her birthday, so we all moved up a day again.

Then I decided I didn't want to stay at SOG. I'm sure it's a great resort, and I will visit it during the trip, but it's our first family vacation and I wanted pure indulgance, so now my DH and kids, along with BIL and FSIL are at the Grand Floridian, with everyone else still at SOG, and the Poly as our meeting point when we want to get together. I am thrilled with this desicion. The night I moved our reservation I was so excited I couldn't fall alseep.
We have a balcony stateroom on the Dream and will spend one night at Portofino Bay for the MWoHP early entrance and then two nights at a water-view Beach Club room before heading home.

Just as the people count went up, our four day vacation is now a two week vacation extravaganza!

Up next: Now that we have a place to stay, where will we eat?