The Whole Fam-Damily - A Multi-Generational Thanksgiving Week Trip 2022 - 4 DAYS TO GO!

[kimberwee]

Well, it's finally time I stop procrastinating and get this PTR going for what will surely be an experience of a lifetime...
Welcome to our Thanksgiving Week PTR, where I will be discussing plans on how to navigate a multi-generational trip "Home"

Normally, I would go on and on about my immediate family, but due to sheer size of the group, I am going to cut to the chase.

Who are we:
Me - aka Kimberwee - 43 years young and Disney Planner extraordinaire
DH - not super crazy about Disney, but goes to humor me
DD - she's 15 and keeps us extremely busy!

This is us at UDA Nationals in February...you can read about that trip...its listed in my signature.

​

The Cast of Characters Joining Us:
MIL - DH's Mom - has made it very clear that she is not excited about the trip already
FIL - DH's Dad - goes with the flow
GMIL - DH's Grandmother - loves to travel, regardless of the destination
SIL1 - using "1" because she is older than SIL "2" - loves DW and will be able to help me navigate everyone
BIL1 - the artist - he will probably be crying with me when we walk into MK and see the castle
NEPHEW1 - 16 year old handful of sarcasm and ridiculous jokes
NEICE1 - she's got a birthday the weekend before we go and will be 14 - super introverted, smart and artistic
SIL2 - super excited to take my Nephew2 for his first real DW trip & already planning outfits with my DD
BIL2 - I can't wait to show him Galaxy's Edge, as he's the only Star Wars fan in the fam
NEPHEW2 - my fave - he will be 4 and I will enjoy visiting with him the most...there's something special about DW with little ones

Also joining us is a friend of SIL1 and her son...

SO MANY PEOPLE!! I have never really planned for a close group this size and am a bit anxious about it. We've been with a large group, but I wasn't the main planner/organizer during that trip.

We'll see how it goes...
- First things first - A Trip is Born
- Where to Stay
- Slight Twist in Plans
- DAY 1
- DAY 2
- DAY 3
- DAY 4
- DAY 5
- DAY 6
- FLIGHTS & MORE​

 

[kimberwee]

I should really start from the beginning...
How does one decide to go to DW with a party of 15?

It really started back in 2020...we were thinking of taking a big family trip to Hawaii for Thanksgiving and because we own DVC, we were planning on using points to stay at Aulani. MIL loves a neighboring resort there and booked a week. She's not a huge fan of Disney and has an appreciation for a nice quiet pool. GMIL wanted to join us and used David's to rent points for a 2 BR OV room, which she was going to share with SIL1's family. SIL2's family was going to stay with my MIL.

ANYWAY - COVID...ugh. We cancelled due to restrictions, closings, etc.

Because GMIL booked through David's, she couldn't get a refund, but they allowed her to postpone the trip points for use within the next 3 years.

Hawaii still didn't sound appealing for most of the group, who had been several times, and with my having lived there, I didn't press it.

We decided that it was the perfect age for NEPHEW2 to have his first visit and that we ALL wanted to be there for it.​

With school schedules and work commitments, we all agreed that we would keep Thanksgiving Week as our time frame and despite what will surely be insane crowd levels, hope for best. I feel that I know enough to get us through it pretty well.

Next up...WHERE TO STAY?!​

 

[kimberwee]

WHERE TO STAY?!
This time, choosing where to stay was easier than most other times.

Criteria 1: Had to be a DVC resort
Criteria 2: Had to allow for GMIL to make best use of her points already purchased

What resort won?

There was a whole debacle due to some of the family procrastinating on booking rooms, but we finally got it figured out into:
2 BR Savannah View for GMIL and SIL1's family
2 BR Savannah View for Me, DH, DD and SIL2's family
King Room at Jambo House for MIL & FIL

and SIL1's friend booked a studio for her family.

We've never stayed @ AKL and I am really looking forward to it. I know that NEPHEW2 will love the Savannah Room and I am already planning little gift bag for him from "Mickey Mouse" with binoculars, etc.

Next up...Slight Twist in Plans...​

 

[kimberwee]

It wouldn't be a proper PTR without some slight twists or plan adjustments, right?

Well, as I stated above, we were in DW for UDA Nationals with DD's High School Pom Team in February. While it was a great trip for us, DD didn't get to do a lot of the things we really like to do as a family. Namely, Epcot.

When I saw that F&W was going to end on 11/19, and that Southwest offers non-stop from OKC on Saturday's, it was an easy decision to add 2 nights on for the 3 of us...so, we booked 11/19-21 at Beach Club Villas!

I just love the idea of being able to walk into Epcot...

We are planning to make this portion of our trip a lot more relaxed than we are used to.

Usually, we are hitting rides and eating QS, because of time constraints and the people we go with. This trip with the family won't be much different, because getting an ADR for 15 will be next to impossible no matter how much you try to break up the groups into multiple reservations.

Can't wait to share our plans with you for these two days!

SO, LET'S GET STARTED....​

 

[kimberwee]

NOVEMBER 19th - DAY 1
Pending flights being released in 2 weeks, I believe that the nonstop from OKC on Southwest will put us into MCO around 4.
The only thing on the agenda for that morning, will be to try to get iLL for GoG. We can't wait to ride it.

Once we land at MCO, we will catch an UBER to BCV, check into our 1 BR and then head into Epcot. Booths for F&W were just released and I see some old favorites...so, we will just count on dinner being a snack-around-the-world affair, hopefully timing around a GoG reservation.
Fingers Crossed!

What am I looking forward to most @ F&W?

The Cider Flight from Appleseed Orchard

Braised Beef & Belgian Waffles from the Belgium Booth

Trying the new FRY BASKET booth

The Ribeye Taco from Mexico

And if they are still there, the Pork Rinds from Swanky Saucy Swine

I feel like this list will probably change...
Is there anything that you all consider "must haves" that we need to add to the list?

ON TO DAY 2!​

 

[kimberwee]

NOVEMBER 20th - DAY 2

I am going to try to schedule a late breakfast @ The Boathouse - Disney Springs. We've never eaten there as a family and I want to try the Crab Cake Benedict.

After breakfast, I think we will go and shop before returning to the resort to explore....maybe go back to the room to take a nap...maybe head to a hot tub with some beverages...depends on the weather.

Around 3, we will start getting ready for family pictures...YEP, I am scheduling a CAPTURE YOUR MOMENT - EPCOT session for the three of us that evening. I'd planned on purchasing Memory Maker anyway, so for $79, it would be great to have some pictures of the three of us. There is also an option to book back-to-back sessions and have two location options in Epcot. Apparently, we may choose one of the following locations per 20-minute photo session, subject to availability: the Italy Pavilion, American Adventure Pavilion, Japan Pavilion, Germany Pavilion or Morocco Pavilion. The photographer will tell us which locations are available at the start of our session. Locations are subject to change based on inclement weather and park operations.
...any votes on which pavilion to use? Italy is nice...American would be traditional...there are nice gardens in Japan...

I need to do some research.

Anyway, after pictures, we are planning 3 things....
1. Dinner @ Le Cellier

2. iLL for Ratatouille

3. A glass of Champagne from Les Vins to drink during...

If it all works out, it should be a magical evening...
Oh, and I forgot to mention that we may try for GoG at the end of the night if we are unsuccessful on Day 1.

Now, let's discuss DAY 3...​

 

[kimberwee]

NOVEMBER 21st - DAY 3
This is where things start to get dicey...

I plan on us sleeping in a bit, before gathering our stuff and asking Bell Services to transfer our big luggage to Kidani and heading to a late breakfast at Ale & Compass. They have some Shrimp & Grits that are calling my name... but I mean, just look at it...YUM!

Now, this is the day that the family arrives...so, depending on when they land is when we will head over to Kidani. Once we are there, we will drop our personal items with bell services and explore the resort a bit, as we meet up with our group throughout the afternoon.

Because our GMIL doesn't get around well, we are reserving an ECV for the length of our stay. I have been looking into different companies, but haven't decided who we should use yet.

Once the group gets in and settled, we will head over to Animal Kingdom. Seemed like a natural fit, being easier to navigate for a half-day visit.

I have started to put together a park plan based on a late arrival....
-Tough to be a Bug
-Kilimanjaro Safari
-Dinner @ QS (probably Harambe Market)
-Kali River Rapids
-Older Kids/Adults will want to ride Everest
-Dinosaur (my absolute least favorite ride in AK)
-Older Kids/Adults will want to ride FoP
-Na'vi River Journey
-Whatever other exploring/experiences/shows we can fit in...

Not sure that we will bother with Genie+, but if we do, I will start stacking. I may just recommend that we buy iLL for FoP for those who want it.

Once everyone starts to get tired, we will head back to the resort for the night...I will have some groceries for the week delivered and we will unpack.

On to DAY 4!​

 

[SEAGULL59]

You’re on a roll with your plans! I will be there during the same week with my DD, 8. We are doing our second mommy/daughter trip. DH and DS (13) are staying home! Oh well, their loss.

 

[Marrila]

I've enjoyed reading about your trip plans so far. I'm looking forward to hearing more about your adventures to come.

 

[kmoehall]

We’ll be there Thanksgiving week as well! I will happily follow your report!

 

[kimberwee]

You’re on a roll with your plans! I will be there during the same week with my DD, 8. We are doing our second mommy/daughter trip. DH and DS (13) are staying home! Oh well, their loss.

My DD and I went on a mommy/daughter trip to DW a couple of years ago and it was probably my favorite of all time! You two will have a blast!

 

[kimberwee]

I've enjoyed reading about your trip plans so far. I'm looking forward to hearing more about your adventures to come.

Thanks!!

 

[kimberwee]

We’ll be there Thanksgiving week as well! I will happily follow your report!

We've been the week before Thanksgiving, but never during that week. I am a little intimidated, as we mostly go during slower times of the year...have you been during Thanksgiving week before?

 

[kimberwee]

NOVEMBER 22nd - DAY 4
Things may change a bit from here...

So, in the past, I have always trusted Touring Plans for crowd assessment to determine what days we should visit certain parks. With GoG opening and the possibility of Tron opening this year, I think that it is a guess at best as to which park we should visit on each day.

The day before, we will have done Animal Kingdom, which in my opinion is an easy park to navigate for a half day.

All of the parks are showing crowd levels at 9 out of 10 or 10 out of 10.

So, the next consideration were made:
1. this will be only 1 of 3 full park days for us that week
2. the trip is really supposed to be focused on NEPHEW2
3. which parks had the most headliners appropriate for NEPHEW2
4. what were historical crowds for those parks last year (realizing that this could be a completely different year)

Where have we tentatively chosen to go for the day?
MAGIC KINGDOM!


We will be purchasing Genie+ for the day and starting @ 7am, I will be booking LL rides for the day. We will probably not be doing a rope drop and let the initial wave of guests staying at AK leave the resort, before catching a bus

Our tentative touring plan for the park?
Book iLL for 7DMT for about 1pm
Book LL for Jungle Cruise, unless it shows a time after lunch...if it shows late arrival, I will probably get us a LL for Space or Thunder Mountain
The goal is to get a LL for the earliest arrival time...that way, we can tap in and still book rides in priority based on when they typically run out of LL
Being a busy day, I am completely expecting that we will have to wait in line for some rides, skipping LL
We will head to the parks to enter by 10 and get this plan started

We will probably be eating in the parks for lunch and dinner, which brings up the important note that I will NOT be booking any table service meals for the group while we are there. There is no way we will be able to get anything for all of us together. I also know that splitting the group will instigate drama regarding who is eating with who...SO, NO THANKS. If people want to do that on their own, they are more than welcome.

However, I have never been a fan of MK QS food choices, so I am just going to tell the group that they need to investigate ahead of time, what is available for Mobile Ordering and make their own plans. For me, I really want to try the Chicken Waffle Sandwich from Sleepy Hollow. I have wanted to try it on several previous trips, but have never gotten to. We will probably end up at Cosmic Rays for one of the meals, due to location. We will see where we are with LL locations around meal times.

We will probably close the park down, with some of the group probably opting to go back to the resort earlier than park closing. Namely, GMIL. I am a bit concerned about her enjoying the trip, as we will be waiting in lines and riding things she can't/shouldn't. With her being in an ECV and older, and a bit "Pooh-Sized", the only rides I am thinking she will enjoy are:
Jungle Cruise, Small World, Mickey's Philharmagic, Laugh Floor, Haunted Mansion and the Tiki Room...Hall of Presidents...
Am I missing anything?

I am certain we will be exhausted after our Day @ MK....so, that leaves some weighted decision-making on what to do about Day 5

ON TO THE NEXT...​

 

[kimberwee]

Remember how I said that I was comparing crowd calendars to past years (not including the anomaly that was 2020)...
Here is what that looked like for those interested - current year is a prediction - past years are what was actually observed...



Just wanted to share in case anyone else was interested...

 

[kmoehall]

We were there thanksgiving week 2017, so obviously pre-Covid and during fast pass era. Parks were crowded but we had an awesome time. I was able to coordinate fast passes well to suit our touring style, which was start in one park, midday break and hop to another. We are not a go-go-go family so crowds didn’t affect our touring strategy.
Of course no fast pass now means we’ll have to adjust, but kids are older and we’ll be hopping, staying deluxe so hoping to take advantage of late nights and maybe early starts, and using genie + so I’m not too worried about the crowds. Stayed at Kidani then and enjoyed it so much we rented points to stay there this year too

 

[kimberwee]

NOVEMBER 23rd - DAY 5

Full Park Day 2

As I mentioned above, there's definitely a science to picking parks for each day and one of my big considerations is park size/ride count.
We have 2 parks that we will have yet to visit:
1. Epcot
2. Hollywood Studios

In my chart it is clear that for crowd size, the best day to visit Epcot, regardless of calendar year, tends to be Wednesday or Thursday of Thanksgiving Week. Because we are planning on eating Thanksgiving Lunch @ the hotel, we will only have a half day on Thursday. Epcot is NOT a half-day

We will be purchasing Genie+ for the day and starting @ 7am, I will be booking LL rides while everyone else sleeps in.
Because we will have had a long day at MK the day before, we will not be doing a rope drop

Priorities for the day:
1. Ride everything! Except Frozen - I don’t have anyone in the group that cares
2. Spend as much time touring World Showcase with GMiL as we can

The second priority means we will need to find fun things for NEPHEW2 (because he’s 4) to entertain him along the way, so I will be catching up on my “Kidcot” research

Food options are easy in Epcot -
I want to eat @ Connections for lunch and then probably Italy Pizza Window or Regal Eagle for dinner.

It should be a great day, with lots of breaks and slower pace

Now, here’s what we’re doing about…

THANKSGIVING DAY

 

[kimberwee]

Stayed at Kidani then and enjoyed it so much we rented points to stay there this year too

That’s great to hear! We haven’t ever stayed there, but are looking forward to it. Any tips or advice on transportation or things we need to do while we are at the resort?

 

[kimberwee]

NOVEMBER 24th - DAY 6
Thanksgiving Day!

The one thing that I forgot to mention earlier is that at some point between Tuesday and Wednesday, I will be picking up a "heat & serve" dinner at Publix for everyone to enjoy on Thanksgiving Day. DH and I are usually the ones to host a Thanksgiving meal at our home each year. We do the turkey and everyone brings sides. I figured that this will be the best way to eat a Thanksgiving meal, without costing everyone an arm and a leg. Plus, the issue of booking due to group size...

This leads me to the Thanksgiving Day 2022 plan:
It will be a resort day, with Thanksgiving Lunch for the family, followed by a park evening @ Hollywood Studios. I am hoping that they bring JBJB back and that it will once again snow on Sunset Blvd...sounds like a great way to ring in the Christmas season and hopefully most of the rope-drop crowd will have left for the evening.

I will begin stacking rides using Genie+, concentrating on Toy Story and Galaxy's Edge, at 7am and hope for the best. The kids can go to the pool or basketball courts or community center until food is ready around noon. We are going to try and scope out the best place to eat ahead of time. I've heard about the picnic table area and it sounds promising.

After lunch, we will clean up and make our way to the parks around 3. Touring Plans is predicting a 10pm park close, so that still leaves us plenty of time at HS.

My big goals for Genie+:
Buy iLL for Rise of the Resistance
Book Slinky Dog
@11am book whatever looks like best/closest to 3pm time slot between Smugglers, MMRR and Toy Story Mania (I hate waiting in standby for TSM)
@1pm - see what is left (if anything) and book from there

I understand that this is a day where we may only get 3-4 LL, but hope that the older kids can have shorter waits on RnR and ToT, closer to leaving
I also have my fingers crossed that we can get an "after dark" RoR, because Galaxy's Edge is spectacular at night

AND, because NEPHEW2's bday is in October, I want to try and gift him a Droid building experience @ Droid Depot. I'm really going to have to be on top of my game for this one.

Because GMIL is with us, we may also try to push in a show

Feels a bit like Mission Impossible at this point...ugh.

I am not worried about food, though. There are plenty of snacks to be had at HS and everyone is typically pretty full after a Thanksgiving Meal.

Can't wait to see how all of this works out...

 

[kmoehall]

I love how organized you already are planning your trip! All we have so far is our first park will be Epcot, we all love Soarin so want that to be one of our first rides.

We loved staying at Kidani over Thanksgiving in 2017. Christmas decorations were beautiful. We did not take full advantage of what the resort offered at that time (but loved the pool, was never crowded when we were there) so hope to spend more time there this year. We did not have issue with resort buses back then so hope to have same luck this trip.