The Trip I Was Born To Plan

[dragitoff]

In our circle, my family is considered the Disney experts. We go to WDW at least once every year and even my kids are becoming expert planners. They know the parks like they know their own neighborhood. It’s our special place to get away from the hustle and bustle of life and focus on each other.

See, I’m a business owner with locations in three different states. I also handle the sales for the company which means I spend quite a bit of time traveling. I usually work 10-13 hours per day and spend over an hour each day commuting to work. I’m also the youth pastor at our church and a long distance runner. My wife works full time at our church and is over our children’s ministries. This means our lives are always 100MPH, but family is important and we make sure we have those special moments together every day. Our annual trips to WDW mean we can all focus on each other and immerse ourselves in the experience, but hey, I’m preaching to the choir on this site!

Planning our trips is half the fun and we often spend hours discussing and planning our upcoming trips together. My wife and I didn’t plan a trip early in the year because we were trying to gauge when would be a good time to go. She and I had already planned a trip to run in the 2014 WDW Half Marathon together this past January and I had a work convention in Anaheim in October and my wife was planning to attend that convention with me so she could make her first trip to Disneyland. Without “planning” any trips to Disney, we already had two booked; however these were both sans children (13y/o and 10y/o daughters).

Our thoughts were we’d do a family trip early summer since our kids get out of school before most schools do and we’d be able to have a week or so to spend in late May so it would be perfect. We started laying things out and deciding on what we wanted to do exactly before we contacted our friendly Dreams Unlimited rep (shoutout to Michelle Snoddy) to book our trip. Just as we were getting ready to pull the trigger on our trip, something happened. Something HUGE!

We were having dinner at my dad’s house one afternoon when my stepmother started telling the family about 4 little boys at her sister’s school that were in foster care and had been for nearly 3 years. They were going to have to split the children up because they could not find anyone to adopt all 4 of them and they felt it would be easier to get them adopted if they split them up.

My wife and I without hesitation spoke up and said, “we’ll adopt all 4 of them” without realizing the pure lunacy of that statement! Please understand, we had looked into adoption and even fostering a few times in our life previously. We have two beautiful biological children, but both had extreme complications in childbirth and we decided we weren’t going to push our luck with another child, but still wanted more children. Despite our best efforts previously, we kept hitting roadblocks with every turn and finally gave up thinking it just wasn’t God’s plan for us to adopt, despite knowing differently in our hearts.

As the years passed, that desire to adopt grew less and less and now, as we were in our mid 30’s and our children had become so independent, we were enjoying our “second honeymoon phase” as we called it. Even knowing all that, the second we heard about those children that desire to adopt again was not just rekindled, but stronger than it had ever been before.
We immediately began to discuss how many life changes would be required to facilitate such an immense thing as adopting 4 little boys ranging in age from 2 ½ to 7! We would have to buy a new house or add-on to our existing 3 bedroom/2 bath home. We would have to get everything for boys from clothes to toys since all we had were things for little girls. And at the top of the list, we’d have to plan a trip for all 8 of us to Disney! Seriously, that was one of our first discussions after our decision!

Without even meeting the children or speaking with them, we began the process immediately of contacting DFCS and the foster agency where the children were placed with. We met with a realtor and began searching for a new home that would accommodate our soon-to-be much larger family. We then put an offer in on the perfect home before our current home was even on the market. We started classes as required by the state for adoption and fostering. Within a few months, we had sold our current home, purchased a new home, and completed our classes.

We did all those things in faith knowing that the boys would soon be our children. Within a week of completing our state required classes, we were blessed with the chance to spend a long weekend with the boys as their foster parents had requested respite care so they could go on vacation.

Those four days were amazing and crazy and loud, but we felt like a giant, perfect family. While playing with the boys, I found out they all loved Mickey Mouse (who doesn’t?) and when I showed them pictures of our family at Disney, they were all amazed and wanted to go there someday. I showed them one of the 8 million vacation planning DVD’s we had and they all just watched in awe and screamed the name of each Disney character as they came on the screen.

I knew right then that these were absolutely my children. Ok, I already knew it before, but if there was ever any doubt, it was erased at that moment. From the moment I saw them I had a love for them just as the first moment I ever saw my biological children in the labor and delivery room, but I also was so excited to be able to share their first WDW experience with them just the same as I was able to do for my wife and each of my own biological children.

We are still in the long process of adoption and because of that, we have no idea when the finalization will occur. We do not know if DFCS will choose to transition the boys into our home via foster case first or if they’ll simply make the decision to place them permanently in hour home when things are finalized. Each day we are without them is difficult because in my heart, they are my sons and I’m their daddy.

Despite the “not knowing” phase we are going through, my wife, children and I are eagerly planning our next family Disney trip, but this trip will be unlike any other. We don’t know when it will be. We don’t know how long it’ll be for, but we do know this trip will no longer be a family of 4. This will be a family of 8. This will be a trip where a standard hotel room is no longer an option. This will be a trip where a stroller is an essential again. This will be a trip where standing in line for characters is no longer a “we’ll see” event. It’s a must do. This will be a trip where our entire family enjoys the magic of WDW together for the very first time, and it’s the trip I was born to plan.

I appreciate everyone reading this extremely long account of my whirlwind past 6 months and I posted this here to get any great tips and ideas for a trip with a family this large. I have planned trips for multiple families before, but never where a family had more than 4-5 people so most rooms at the resorts would accommodate. Also if there are any families that have gone through the adoption process, your kind words and advice are also greatly appreciated since working with our state DFCS is so trying and frustrating with the lack of communication that they give us. Thanks in advance for all the responses that I hope are to follow.

 

[DisneyFan13US]

Dragitoff, I can't help you with the planning but I can tell you this. What a great story. I wish you nothing but the best in your amazing journey.

 

[dragitoff]

Dragitoff, I can't help you with the planning but I can tell you this. What a great story. I wish you nothing but the best in your amazing journey.

Thank you! I know it was extremely long, but those few paragraphs can't even begin to explain the emotions and excitement our family has right now. I am the uber planner in all things. I have to be with all we have going on in our lives! That planning obviously spills over to our Disney trips, but not to the point where it dictates our trip and we can't enjoy things on the fly.

This is so new to me now. Planning for a family of 8 ranging in ages from 3 up to 13 with the smaller ones never having been to Disney is its own set of small challenges, but I know with our experience and the help of Dis'ers and our Dreams Unlimited agent, it will be the most memorable experience we've ever had at Disney.

I'm just so blessed to have the opportunity to do this and thankful for it.

 

[Mrs Lapo]

I absolutely love your post. What an inspiration! I wish you the best of luck with your adoption process. I hope you will keep us posted on how it all goes. And I hope you all get to go to Disney together as one big happy family!

 

[dragitoff]

I absolutely love your post. What an inspiration! I wish you the best of luck with your adoption process. I hope you will keep us posted on how it all goes. And I hope you all get to go to Disney together as one big happy family!

There's no doubt we will get to enjoy that trip together. It's only a matter of when! Thank you for the wishes because we all know what happens when you wish upon a star!

 

[jimandami]

What an amazing thing for you and your family to do!! As far as tips, I would consider renting DVC points for a 2 bedroom. You would have 2 full bedrooms, living room, kitchen, washer/dryer, etc...AKV Kidani and BLT would also give you 3 bathrooms, which is nice with that many people. The only thing would be you would have to plan the trip pretty far in advance, depending on when you wish to go.

 

[caracarn]

WOW! What an amazing post!

I loved reading the anticipation as I had gone through something very similar myself.

You see I was divorced and recently married a wonderful woman. I had three kids from my marriage and she had three as well, so when we got everything together we made a trip to Disney as a family with 8 instead of a family of five which was the case when I had gone before. My wife had not been to Disney since high school and her children had never gone, so that excitement you speak of I am well aware of. The kids are a little older ranging in age from 9-14 and the oldest were a little jaded as we planned away for a year before we went. Even my wife was skeptical as I was just full of excitement and she just kept saying "you know people have fun in places other than Disney?" I knew she was just giving me a hard time but also did not want my expectations shattered if the kids were not as excited as me.

So even up until a few days before the trip, the 14 year old was talking about how Universal is so much better than Disney (her dad had taken them there for a couple days after he heard we were going to Disney as he always has to try to outdo people). I just let her know she would have a better time if she just let herself experience Disney for herself rather than go in not liking it because her dad or others said she would not. Less than an hour into our first day there guess who was begging to get Mickey ears and an autograph book for the characters?! Yup, my 14 year old step daughter! We had a wonderful week there and when we left the kids were all asking when we could go back. My wife even surprised me last night when I talked about that we might have to rent our points this year by asking "don't we need two years worth of points to go back?" I figured with her statements that going to Disney was fine but she did not see herself liking it enough to keep going back regularly that we would not be going again.

Feel free to contact me and ask me whatever you like about Disney with 8. We had a two bedroom in Beach Club Villas as we are DVC members. I agree with a previous poster that this is the way to go. I have done trips with either another family or a few extra people and done two adjoining rooms, but that is always a hassle that I would never do again after seeing how smoothly the two bedroom worked. Yes we can't go every year, but it is for the same reason as you may run into: it costs a lot more to take 8 than 4. We did the dining plan and the other normal items. Again, many of the kids are picky eaters and I found out long ago, if I do the dining plan my sanity stays intact if they order something and do not eat it because I'm not fuming that it cost me $40 for them to take 2 bites. With the dining plan I had already paid the money so that stress was gone, plus I encourage them to try new things since it does not matter that the shrimp are $X or the steak is $X. My stepson found out he LOVES shrimp and he now asks for them often. He had never wanted to try them before but late into the trip he was all about new things. We were at Coral Reef and he was hoping he could get some more. We ended up just ordering him another kids order since they were not too expensive and I think he would have eaten a third if we let him. That moment was priceless as were many others. Disney magic never ceases to amaze me and it was wonderful to see three kids that were somewhat or seriously skeptical about the whole experience having the time of their lives and then asking to go back. I hope your trip is just as magical.

 

[dragitoff]

WOW! What an amazing post! I loved reading the anticipation as I had gone through something very similar myself. You see I was divorced and recently married a wonderful woman. I had three kids from my marriage and she had three as well, so when we got everything together we made a trip to Disney as a family with 8 instead of a family of five which was the case when I had gone before. My wife had not been to Disney since high school and her children had never gone, so that excitement you speak of I am well aware of. The kids are a little older ranging in age from 9-14 and the oldest were a little jaded as we planned away for a year before we went. Even my wife was skeptical as I was just full of excitement and she just kept saying "you know people have fun in places other than Disney?" I knew she was just giving me a hard time but also did not want my expectations shattered if the kids were not as excited as me. So even up until a few days before the trip, the 14 year old was talking about how Universal is so much better than Disney (her dad had taken them there for a couple days after he heard we were going to Disney as he always has to try to outdo people). I just let her know she would have a better time if she just let herself experience Disney for herself rather than go in not liking it because her dad or others said she would not. Less than an hour into our first day there guess who was begging to get Mickey ears and an autograph book for the characters?! Yup, my 14 year old step daughter! We had a wonderful week there and when we left the kids were all asking when we could go back. My wife even surprised me last night when I talked about that we might have to rent our points this year by asking "don't we need two years worth of points to go back?" I figured with her statements that going to Disney was fine but she did not see herself liking it enough to keep going back regularly that we would not be going again. Feel free to contact me and ask me whatever you like about Disney with 8. We had a two bedroom in Beach Club Villas as we are DVC members. I agree with a previous poster that this is the way to go. I have done trips with either another family or a few extra people and done two adjoining rooms, but that is always a hassle that I would never do again after seeing how smoothly the two bedroom worked. Yes we can't go every year, but it is for the same reason as you may run into: it costs a lot more to take 8 than 4. We did the dining plan and the other normal items. Again, many of the kids are picky eaters and I found out long ago, if I do the dining plan my sanity stays intact if they order something and do not eat it because I'm not fuming that it cost me $40 for them to take 2 bites. With the dining plan I had already paid the money so that stress was gone, plus I encourage them to try new things since it does not matter that the shrimp are $X or the steak is $X. My stepson found out he LOVES shrimp and he now asks for them often. He had never wanted to try them before but late into the trip he was all about new things. We were at Coral Reef and he was hoping he could get some more. We ended up just ordering him another kids order since they were not too expensive and I think he would have eaten a third if we let him. That moment was priceless as were many others. Disney magic never ceases to amaze me and it was wonderful to see three kids that were somewhat or seriously skeptical about the whole experience having the time of their lives and then asking to go back. I hope your trip is just as magical.

We are seriously thinking of DVC or possibly going in with my brothers on purchasing a vacation home however we really prefer staying on site. I've got the DVC information already and think that's the route we will end up going. The problem with the adjoining rooms is they technically can't guarantee them is what I've been told.

I will almost certainly have questions as this is new to me. I've planned for our family and planned for multi-family trips but never a trip like this! Lol.

 

[dragitoff]

What an amazing thing for you and your family to do!! As far as tips, I would consider renting DVC points for a 2 bedroom. You would have 2 full bedrooms, living room, kitchen, washer/dryer, etc...AKV Kidani and BLT would also give you 3 bathrooms, which is nice with that many people. The only thing would be you would have to plan the trip pretty far in advance, depending on when you wish to go.

I'm almost certain we'll end up either joining DVC or renting someone's points. Considering we're only a 4 hour drive from WDW, DVC seems like the most logical choice for a family our size. I'm especially leaning towards one of the Home Resorts near MK. When we checked into it, they were offering home resorts at Grand Floridian!

As a runner, we do some of the running events and the ones we do usually start (and end) in the Epcot area so those monorail resorts are the best. Beats the busses that early in the morning and allows you a few extra minutes of sleep.

Since we'll be going from just 2 kids (age 13 and 10) to 6 (ages 3-13), we'll definitely spend a lot of time in the MK so being that close to it makes it even more magical!

 

[katyjeka]

If we had more people like you in the world it would be a much better place. Congrats on your family. We've always traveled in a group of eight, all different ages, so I usually spend a year making all the plans. I will add we've never had an issue with connecting rooms, although it may just be good luck on our part. I agree with the MK comment as we spend a lot of our trip there, however our kids love the World Showcase. They could easily spend an entire day exploring the countries. My only advice, I would probably look for DVC property based on size. With a group as large as yours the more space the better. I do believe some of the units are much larger than others, although I don't own so could be wrong. Happy planning.

 

[dragitoff]

If we had more people like you in the world it would be a much better place. Congrats on your family. We've always traveled in a group of eight, all different ages, so I usually spend a year making all the plans. I will add we've never had an issue with connecting rooms, although it may just be good luck on our part. I agree with the MK comment as we spend a lot of our trip there, however our kids love the World Showcase. They could easily spend an entire day exploring the countries. My only advice, I would probably look for DVC property based on size. With a group as large as yours the more space the better. I do believe some of the units are much larger than others, although I don't own so could be wrong. Happy planning.

You know that's actually why I had looked into possibly investing in a vacation home. We've done two different trips with multiple families where we rented the large vacation homes near WDW and loved it each time. They were spacious and well decorated and certainly comfortable. Staying off-site gave us better choices for meals, but we missed being on property. We missed the convenience of the bus service and EMH. We're usually the ones that are at the parks before rope drop but ready to bail early evening. With small ones, staying on-site makes it easier to also head back for those wonderful early afternoon naps. DVC is not quite the investment as purchasing a rental property; however DVC doesn't get me $ back unless I sell my points.