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[kangelop]

Awesome story about your parents. They sound so sweet. I'm very excited to take another trip to WDW thru the eyes and experiences of Sharon!

[lissybri]

Yay! I'm so excited I caught this one early. That story about your mom and the phone was hilarious. Congratulations to your parents.

[CinderAbby]

You know, I just cannot keep up with your TR's - you need to take a break from going to Disney for a while . I still haven't finished your last one about the CLQ. And I go back to work in a week so it's going to get worse with me falling behind.

In all seriousness though, how great is that - 50 years together. That IS an accomplishment and congrats to them. I can't wait to read how you celebrate that and just being in Disney again as a family.

[PrincessSharon]

Thanks for reading everyone!

Originally Posted by Chancho

I will be there at the same time!!!! I hope I spot you in your rain poncho as Issac may put a damper on our trip. . Lovely pics of your family.

If you see us, say hi!

Originally Posted by lexiemom

Congrats to your parents! I am cracking up at your mom! Sounds like something that would happen on a sitcom.

My parents could definitely star in a sitcom! I can't tell you how many times I have to fix stuff when I visit. Once my DF accidentally locked the oven and they thought it was broken, so my DM was cooking with the toaster oven the entire weekend. When I came for dinner, DM apologized for having to serve the meal in pieces and explained that the oven was broken. I took a look. It literally took me 4 seconds to figure it out! I shudder to think what they'd do without me!

Originally Posted by disneydani

You parents sound hysterical....without meaning to be...

So fabulous you can celebrate such a momentous occasion at WDW. Love the pic of your parents at the GF...you can tell they are amazingly in love just by the way they are gazing at each other.

Can't wait to hear about all the plans!

danielle

My parents are definitely unintentionally hilarious!

Originally Posted by MosyBliss

Our trips overlap! I will keep an eye out for you all and if you see a red haired girl starting every other sentence with "Princess Sharon said..." then you will of found me!

Well, please say hi if you see us! This way your family won't think I'm your imaginary friend.

Originally Posted by lauriep

Fifty years and still smiling! Love the phone story. Sad to say, that sounds like something "I" would do, including not remembering my cell when I leave the house. I hope Eric and family end up coming along. They missed last year, too, didn't they?

Yes, they missed last year too. We went to visit them in May, and they're coming to New York in October, but we want to see them anyway!

Originally Posted by Grammy Grumpy

You all look wonderful! Congrats to your awesome parents on their 50 year achievement. DH and I are close (only 4 years and 4 months more for us!) to that goal and I can appreciate their love and devotion to family and themselves.

Congrats to you and Bob! Will you be celebrating with a Disney trip?

Originally Posted by Huntermom

Always thrilled to find another of your trip reports. Congratulations to your parents-they sound like they are lots of fun and never take themselves too seriously, which probably contributes greatly to having a 50 year marriage.

I think the picture of them is wonderful although neither of them look old enough to have been married 50 years.

My parents are certainly well matched! And they're both so easygoing, it's easy for them to laugh things off rather than get angry or point fingers. And I'll tell my parents what you said about them looking too young to be married 50 years! I'm sure they'll love that!

Originally Posted by taylan1

First off Congratulations to Mable and Ed on their 50 years of wedded bliss! I had a good laugh at the phone story, just too cute. I hope that your DB Eric can come on the trip and perhaps his family too. Can't wait to see all the cute photos and here all the funny stories about what your adorable nephews are up to on this trip! Not long now! Whew! You got this PTR in just in the nick of time!

It's going to be a lot of fun! And I actually had a lot to say pre-trip, so I'm happy I was able to write a PTR, even a short one!

Originally Posted by JKnott17

Happy Anniversary to your parents! I was cracking up over the story about your mom and the phone I hope you all have a great trip!

I feel like I should tell a story about DF to make things even. How about the time he couldn't watch television for 3 days because he accidentally turned off the receiver and didn't know it. Usually when they ask me to fix something, it takes 4 seconds and one button push.

Originally Posted by abubbles77

Just finished your DL TR and getting started on this TR. I will be at WDW whole you are there also (8/29 - 9/4). I will say hey if I see you.

I had no idea so many PPers would be around! If you see us say hi!

Originally Posted by OhToodles!

I am no where near caught up on your DL TR, but had to come over to this one.

Happy early Anniversary to your parents!

I think it's great that you all still like to travel with each other.

I told my MiL about you the other day - about how you said the weather mojo may not work this time and how you've gone more times than them. She said 'that sounds like someone I'd like to meet'. Hopefully that will come true!

I don't hold it against anyone for being behind on reading TRs. I'm behind myself! And it's even harder to keep up when you're writing your own TR! I'm looking forward to seeing you again and meeting the rest of your family!

Originally Posted by cubfancolleen

Happy anniversary, Mabel & Ed!!
LOVE the phone story! And you being at work while trying to get her attention makes it all the more hilarious!
Hope Isaac doesn't rain on your parade. We just left Vero Beach this morning, and while we had rain every.single.day, it was typically late afternoon, giving lots of sun up to then.

I'm worried about the weather this trip. I think I used up all my hurricane avoidance mojo last year!

Originally Posted by ilovedisney247

One ends and another begins! I'll see ya real soon!

Can't wait!

Originally Posted by CinderAbby

You know, I just cannot keep up with your TR's - you need to take a break from going to Disney for a while . I still haven't finished your last one about the CLQ. And I go back to work in a week so it's going to get worse with me falling behind.

In all seriousness though, how great is that - 50 years together. That IS an accomplishment and congrats to them. I can't wait to read how you celebrate that and just being in Disney again as a family.

As excited as I am about my other trips this year, I don't want to think about it! And I know a thing or two about being behind in TR reading. It seems like once you get behind, you NEVER catch up!

[Principessa_di_Fata]

Yay! I love all of your PTR's and TR's, but I especially love your family ones! Your mom reminds me so much of mine with that intro!

[PrincessSharon]

Wow, that’s a lot of planning!

This trip is probably the most complicated one I’ve planned in a long time. There was a lot of planning involved. And I had to do it all. My family members are not planners, so if I don’t plan it, it doesn’t happen. I decided everyone would stay at AKL this year (sometimes we end up in different places). This will be a first for many of our group - only DM, Noah, Daniel and I have stayed at AKL before. I let my DM choose the dates she wanted, and she decided she wanted to arrive on Sunday and return home on Friday. Fine.

At exactly 11 months out (I set an alarm so I wouldn’t forget), I was on the phone with member services. This was pre online booking. I booked us in a savannah view villa (I couldn’t get us club level, unfortunately, and the wait list never came through) at Jambo House. I chose Jambo House because the food options are better there (not that Sanaa isn't a good option, it's just, like, the only option at Kidani). I had a hope that we could get a grand villa, but there was no availability for one of our nights, so I decided we’ll save that for another time.

Instead, we have a 2 bedroom villa and a studio. I booked the studio for myself and Daniel, but I don't know who will actually be staying in my room until it happens. There may be a revolving door of guests with me. There goes my reputation!

My DN Daniel turned 10 in February, and it’s become a family tradition to get to go to Disney with me when that happens. We’re all going, so I promised Daniel we’d stay through the weekend without the rest of the family. He was excited to be going without his brothers, but then I reminded him that he got to come along on Noah’s 10th birthday trip, so Noah comes too. I hope Isaiah won’t remember that each of his brothers got to go twice when it’s time to take him. Or I might end up taking him twice!

We needed somewhere to stay for that portion, and I immediately decided that it would be a great opportunity to try out the new Art of Animation family suites. After all, when else would I be traveling with enough people (kids) to make it make sense? I had a conversation with Daniel about it. I said, “Daniel, we’re going to stay at a brand new hotel!” He replied, “I don’t want to. I want to stay at the place where we stayed last time. With the big pool and the food.” He meant the Polynesian. Club level. The kid’s got good taste!

Now, we all know how much I love the Poly, but I didn’t think another good opportunity to stay at AOA would present itself to me any time soon, and I needed to stay there so I could say I’ve stayed at all the Disney resorts. So I ignored him. I tried to sell the AOA as much as I could. What eventually won him over was the murphy beds! And the fact that he and Noah wouldn’t have to sleep together and they’d have their own TV and could watch any dumb show they wanted. As opposed to the dumb shows I wanted.

I asked him which wing he wanted to try, and he chose the Lion King section because that would be the newest. I asked my TA Megan to book that for me. Meg! Unfortunately, there were no discounts because it's so new, but I'm hoping it'll be worth it. I'm actually the most excited about this resort!

I probably have mentioned this before, but I don’t like to “waste” days, so that Sunday arrival kept getting stuck in my craw. About June or so, I got an email from Disney with a pin code. Sometimes I think there’s a person at Disney whose job it is to think up ways to get me there!

It was a tougher decision than you'd expect, because I really wanted to fly down with my family (we all live close enough together that we can fly together). It’s not that I really wanted to fly with them, but I was worried they wouldn’t make it without me. I have stories, remember? The time my parents showed up to the airport literally 5 hours early and then missed their flight? Also, it would be fun to share the excitement of the group. But they'd still be excited once they got to AKL, and I figured all they had to do was get onto the plane on their own and Disney would take care of the rest, so I decided to add on that extra day. I'm pretty sure DB and DSIL can step in if my parents have any “senior moments.” Or even Noah, for that matter!

But now where? AKL is my very favorite, but I’d be staying there with the family. The Poly is my second favorite, but I’d stayed there in April, and Daniel would never forgive me for that! Then it hit me! I could stay at Port Orleans Riverside in one of the Royal Guest Rooms. What better room for a Princess, right? And I hadn’t done that before, so another item for my list of firsts! I have stayed at POR before. Several times, in fact. It’s my favorite of the moderates. I checked the availability using the pin code, and I got a nice rate, so I booked it.

I’m kind of second-guessing myself, with having to change resorts twice, but over ten days, I guess it won’t be so bad. In case you lost track, it’s POR Royal Guest Room, AKL Jambo House, then Art of Animation Lion King suite.

With the lodging taken care of, I then had to book flights. For eight people. Did I mention I’m glad my brother Eric lives within manageable driving distance? He’s totally my favorite. Anyway, booking for 8 was bad enough, but it was even more complicated because everyone wasn’t flying the same dates.

First I booked mine. I didn’t take my usual first flight out because I wanted to be able to be around for my family if they had any last-minute questions. I’m leaving at 11:30, arriving at Disney in the early afternoon. That was easy.

For everyone else, I knew they didn’t want to get up too early, so I booked them the same 11:00-ish flight out. For the return, I knew that unlike me, they wanted to get home before it got to be too late in the evening, so they're flying back at 2:30. I didn't want to get home too late with the boys either, so our return flight is at 3:10.

I booked my parents on their own itinerary. That was pretty easy too. Now when it came to my brother Ed, I decided to book him on his own, because he works in law enforcement, and last year, he ended up having to work the first couple of days of our trip, and it was a big headache getting just one person from the itinerary put on a different flight. It also would’ve been very expensive if not for the hurricane that never arrived (which was the reason he needed to stay and work in the first place). This year, if I have to change his, it’ll be much easier. Of course when I saw him yesterday, he mentioned that he's already on vacation, so no worries of any last-minute changes.

I put Jackie and Isaiah together, but the other boys had to have their own itinerary. And because they were flying down with their parents but returning with me, I had to book them one way flights. With minors, you are only able to book by including someone else’s confirmation number (or you have to pay the unaccompanied minor charge). Actually, Noah would've been old enough to fly without the charge, but not Daniel. And naturally, Noah flying with Daniel doesn't count as an adult.

It took a long time, but I finally got it done. And I also learned how the pricing works at SWA - the last two tickets I booked had a higher rate, so apparently, there are a certain number of seats at each price level. Luckily, the difference only came to $20.

Now I’m worried about checking all of them in, because nobody wanted to pay for Early Bird Check In, and I’m worried they will be all split up. I don't trust anyone else to remember check them in. I think I may just pay for the boys to have it, and then check the others in. That way, it won’t be so bad. I hope.

Continued…

[PrincessSharon]

We decided (mostly I decided) that DB Ed is happiest when everything is paid for up front, so we booked the dining plan for our stay at AKV. The fact that Daniel is 10 now, and considered an adult by Disney is not a big deal. He eats like an adult, so it’s no problem. The kid is thin, but he can put away some food! I have personally witnessed him eating 5 slices of pizza!

Having the DDP gave me a chance to plan sit-down meals almost every day, without worrying about anyone (Eddie) complaining. I polled the family and the only request was Boma. Everyone loves Boma. Eddie missed Boma last year because of hurricane duty, so he really wanted Boma. In fact, he’s threatened to ditch us every night at dinner and go to Boma!

I thought about what other meals would be fun for our group. I knew Teppan Edo would be a hit with our group. DF served in Japan when he was in the Air Force and Japan is his favorite Epcot pavilion, so I knew he’d especially love it, but I also knew the boys would get a kick out of the show.

‘Ohana was a huge hit with the family and we hadn’t been back there for dinner in a while, so that was on the list. I wanted to get the family into 50s Prime Time Café so I could stir up a little trouble, and I know the home-cooking dishes will be a hit, so that was added to the list. I’m the only one in our group who’s eaten at 50s PTC before.

And a few people requested a character meal. Last year, I lost a couple of “cool aunt” points from Daniel because I had the nerve to book a breakfast that wasn’t Chef Mickey’s (where his favorite dish on earth, the breakfast pizza, is served). So that had to be on the list.

DM also requested Wolfgang Puck Express, but she didn’t realize that was a counter service place. But we’ll definitely eat there for lunch while we’re shopping.

I wanted to be sure I could get our ADRs with such a big party size, so I was sure to book everything right at the 180-day mark. It’s a fairly slow time of the year, so I had no problem getting the exact times and dates I wanted.

I also decided to book Sci-Fi for lunch when it’ll just be me and the two older boys, because they like it (and I love the shakes ).

We also plan to spend some time each day enjoying our resort. Our days of commando touring are over. The boys will stay in the parks all day, but like most kids, getting them to the resort is easy once you mention the pool.

I really can’t wait to check out AOA. I plan to do a lot of exploring and take plenty of photos. I’m even excited about the food court there!

It was also up to me to order everyone’s park tickets. I didn’t think the group would spend 5 days in the parks, but the difference in price between the 4-day and the 5-day was so small, I figured the 5-day MYW would be worth it. We don’t usually park hop, so most of the group got 5 day basic MYW tickets. I got the boys 10-day tickets, because Undercover Tourist, where I ordered the tickets, only had 7-day or 10-day tickets. The extra days will allow us to go into a park on Monday morning if we want, and even would cover me in case I decided to get crazy and have them come down with me on Saturday.

I also made an order with Garden Grocer for breakfast items. I know Eddie likes to have breakfast before he gets going, so I ordered eggs and bacon and stuff. This benefits all of us, because not only does he cook, he also cleans up! This is my first time using Garden Grocer, but so far it’s been a smooth process.

I had one more thing to order. We usually get the Photopass CD, but we also get at least 2 or 3 ride photos, so this year I decided we should get the Photopass+. I expect it’ll be worth it, especially with Chef Mickey’s and ‘Ohana pictures on there too. I preordered so I could get the reduced price, and the voucher is safely put away in my Passporter. I’ll turn it in first thing on Saturday before everyone else arrives.

I also added my parents’ 50th anniversary celebration to our ADRs and resort reservation. I haven’t mentioned it to my parents because I want them to be surprised, and I also don’t want to get them expecting lots of magic only to be disappointed. This way they have no expectations and can only be pleasantly surprised. I also ordered strawberries and champagne to be put in their room.

The boys are big on getting their faces painted and last year all three of them had a blast at the Pirates League, so this year, I made them appointments on our MK day. I wasn’t sure if Noah would still want to get it done at 12 years old, but I made him the appointment and I think he’ll do it, even if he has to use the appointment as an excuse!

Like I said, there was a lot of planning to do. It was fine because there were no real snags, and planning is fun for me, so I didn’t mind, but I do wish my family members would show their appreciation a bit. Like in Dole whip form or something. I keep mentioning how much work it was, so maybe they’ll get the hint.

The best thing, though, is even though I get no input from them, they’re always happy with whatever I choose, so I don’t have to worry about that. They follow me blindly. I have to be careful not to get drunk with the power.

I planned our itinerary around our ADRs. With such a large group, I avoid park hopping, so we’ll be one park per day.

Saturday, August 25 – I’ll be snacking around Epcot

Sunday, August 26 – Animal Kingdom, with dinner at Boma

Monday, August 27 – Epcot, with dinner at Teppan Edo. I hope to meet PassPorter Stacey (sc507) and let her kids trick me into trying Beverly

Tuesday, August 28 – Hollywood Studios with dinner at 50s PTC. I think we may spend part of the afternoon at DTD and have lunch at WPE.

Wednesday, August 29 – Chef Mickey’s, followed by a day at the MK

Thursday, August 30 – Animal Kindgom, followed by dinner at ‘Ohana

Once the rest of the family leaves, I figured I’d let the boys decide what we’re going to do, but I made some plans anyway, just in case

Friday, August 31 – either Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom

Saturday, September 1 – Hollywood Studios, with lunch at Sci-Fi

Sunday, September 2 – Magic Kingdom for at least part of the day. I plan to meet Kelly (OhToodles!) and her family

Monday, September 3 – don’t know if we’ll do a park this day, but we do have park admission

Up Next: I’m ready!

[CinderAbby]

It's a good thing you can keep track of all that - I'm already confused as to who's going, how and when. Although I guess in my defense, I'm still wondering how in the world your parents could arrive so early for a flight and still miss it?

[taylan1]

Wow! So much planning for this trip! I hope you have it all written down to keep track of them all! I can't wait to see your pics from AOA! We are not staying there on our next trip but we are right across the way at POP so we will definitely be checking it out!

[pamcarey]

Awesome plans!! I'm so excited that you'll be staying at AoA! I'm staying there next April, and I can't wait to see your pictures!

[disney_duke]

I'm assuming you have a spreadsheet with all info, ala Karen? That's a lot of work. I do hope you get a dole whip or three for all your efforts!

[rosanna]

Your plans sound terrific! I love that you plan and your family just comes along for the ride. That would never happen in my family...too many alpha wolves. Tell your parents congrats from us. I'm sure your mom will love the strawberries and champagne (especially if a little chocolate manages to find its way in there)!

[OhToodles!]

Great job Sharon! I know how hard it is to plan a trip for so many. Shoot it's hard enough just to plan it for my faily of 4. And it's only going to get worse as Dylan is rather opinionated. And all the different arrival & departure days and flights.

Can't wait to see you!

[lazanya]

Congrats to your parents!
Great plans!

[Coop]

Wow! All I can say is Wow!