Back from SSR, AKV and BCV w/photos June 20-July 8, 2007
- Thread starter LIFERBABE
- Start date
tomandrobin
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2006
What a great story and we are glad that things went very well!!
J and R's mom
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2005
OMGosh... 42 people?! 
Seriously, though, that is really awesome.
Can't wait to read the rest!
Seriously, though, that is really awesome.
Can't wait to read the rest!
goldilocks_63
<font color=green>OKW+BCV+SSR+AKV<br><font color=c
- Joined
- May 12, 2003
Liferbabe,
What a cool trip. And I am glad that your using your points while everyone can enjoy them. No time like the present!
I'm going in Oct with my parent, and meeting hubby's parents and family.. so I think there will be about 20 of us total (1 safari car please).....
So for AKV, did you take up 2 cars? And how did you handle reservations (individual groups of 4 at the same restaurant, or one bigger for all?)
I'm so glad you had a happy time.
Best, Goldi
What a cool trip. And I am glad that your using your points while everyone can enjoy them. No time like the present!
I'm going in Oct with my parent, and meeting hubby's parents and family.. so I think there will be about 20 of us total (1 safari car please).....
So for AKV, did you take up 2 cars? And how did you handle reservations (individual groups of 4 at the same restaurant, or one bigger for all?)
I'm so glad you had a happy time.
Best, Goldi
My family called it a Miracle
From reading these boards, our own trips and planning trips with friends, I knew to not overplan and let the reunion be more free flowing. I about did my girlfriends in last March, dragging them thru the parks each day
Plus many in my family were concerned about how expensive WDW can be, and the most important thing to me was all of us coming together so I didnt plan any park days or meals out. I left that as an individual choice. I did not want to hear any complaints about how expensive Disney food is, that's what the DIS is for
I did provide lots of info and let the individuals decide what type (if any) park tickets they purchased, and let them plan their days. Im one of the youngest, so my boys are small, but many have children in the 18 and up age and many of my nieces are married and have children of their own. We only had 4 in the age 3-9 range and 2 of them were mine and they could give Tourguide Mike a run for his money, so we didnt go to the parks while the family was there.
Hi Goldi!
I planned the reunion events much like a cruise navigator. Scheduling a large group for anything is stress, so I avoided that completely!
Everyone had the choice to attend all or none of the events and Family dinners were at 7pm
All events and dinners were at the Grand Villa hosted by the sisters. My BIL from Georgia hosted the midnight BBQ the last night at the Congress Park pavilion. Every one was excited to contribute, like the eldest sister hosted a Tea Party for the ladies, my other sister gave out these great gift bags to all the sisters and brothers, we had a gift exchange and just had a wonderful time being together. It was really like being at home
I was really surprised that most planned their days around the family events even the young adults came back from DTD for the midnight BBQ
I took my digital photo frame and set it on the entry console. I had several memory cards and there was always a slideshow going of what we just did that day and the days before for anyone that missed anything.
Byoung, thanks for reading
All the studios were in the same building, and the Grand Villa was supposed to be too, but there was a mixup when they blocked our rooms that had us with 2 GV's booked instead of 1 so they kept the GV that was closest to the end of the next bldg where all the studios were. No one complained and they all loved their view and the GV had a great view of Bongo's and HOB and everyone had their own space to retreat to if they needed to rest or get away from it all. Another tip I used from the cruise was to use the wipe board for our schedule that I hung on the GV door.
Loribell, I was able to get the GV in January too. I added the 4th night within 2 months.
Bobbi, you can invite me!!
My family are definitely not park commandos (neither are we) and they really appreciated the beauty of SSR and how peaceful and relaxing it was. They also commented how the CM's were so nice and friendly and went out of their way to make sure everyone was having a good time. The days were hot, but the evenings were gorgeous
Now for the Drama, on a Drama scale of 1 to 10, our family drama was about a 3! Which is pretty good for 42 people and excellent for my Family
. Again from these forums, the one thing I have learned is to nip family drama in the bud. Just say no!
"Aunt C, can I bring my long lost boyfriend?" NO! not even if he stays offsite!
"Aunt C, can I share a room with my girlfriend?" No!, she sleeps with your cousins, this aint the Love Boat!
Gotta love the young ones! Tough love worked and we kept the focus on family.
Another great feature of having a Family Reunion at WDW was Magical Express! Because we stayed at the Vacation Home in the beginning, everyone was arriving, my brother was back and forth to MCO to pick up the young adults that couldnt rent cars. But departure was EASY!! We set up ME the night before and everyone magically disappeared! It is truly a Magic Bus!
My most magical moment was being able to have my niece and her husband with us. We lost her mom 2 years ago to cancer and then she had a baby last year and 3 months later her Active Duty Dh was sent to Iraq. He's been gone since Oct 2006 and he was able to come home for 2 weeks leave for the reunion. They spent a great week at SSR and he did the Richard Petty Experience and loved it and they just had a really great time. Their 7 year old fell in love with Legoland at DTD and collected many sets. He returned to Iraq last Saturday to finish his tour in 2008. Be safe Mike.......
From reading these boards, our own trips and planning trips with friends, I knew to not overplan and let the reunion be more free flowing. I about did my girlfriends in last March, dragging them thru the parks each day
Plus many in my family were concerned about how expensive WDW can be, and the most important thing to me was all of us coming together so I didnt plan any park days or meals out. I left that as an individual choice. I did not want to hear any complaints about how expensive Disney food is, that's what the DIS is for
I did provide lots of info and let the individuals decide what type (if any) park tickets they purchased, and let them plan their days. Im one of the youngest, so my boys are small, but many have children in the 18 and up age and many of my nieces are married and have children of their own. We only had 4 in the age 3-9 range and 2 of them were mine and they could give Tourguide Mike a run for his money, so we didnt go to the parks while the family was there.
Hi Goldi!
I planned the reunion events much like a cruise navigator. Scheduling a large group for anything is stress, so I avoided that completely!
Everyone had the choice to attend all or none of the events and Family dinners were at 7pmAll events and dinners were at the Grand Villa hosted by the sisters. My BIL from Georgia hosted the midnight BBQ the last night at the Congress Park pavilion. Every one was excited to contribute, like the eldest sister hosted a Tea Party for the ladies, my other sister gave out these great gift bags to all the sisters and brothers, we had a gift exchange and just had a wonderful time being together. It was really like being at home
I was really surprised that most planned their days around the family events even the young adults came back from DTD for the midnight BBQ I took my digital photo frame and set it on the entry console. I had several memory cards and there was always a slideshow going of what we just did that day and the days before for anyone that missed anything.
Byoung, thanks for reading
All the studios were in the same building, and the Grand Villa was supposed to be too, but there was a mixup when they blocked our rooms that had us with 2 GV's booked instead of 1 so they kept the GV that was closest to the end of the next bldg where all the studios were. No one complained and they all loved their view and the GV had a great view of Bongo's and HOB and everyone had their own space to retreat to if they needed to rest or get away from it all. Another tip I used from the cruise was to use the wipe board for our schedule that I hung on the GV door.
Loribell, I was able to get the GV in January too. I added the 4th night within 2 months.
Bobbi, you can invite me!!
My family are definitely not park commandos (neither are we) and they really appreciated the beauty of SSR and how peaceful and relaxing it was. They also commented how the CM's were so nice and friendly and went out of their way to make sure everyone was having a good time. The days were hot, but the evenings were gorgeous
Now for the Drama, on a Drama scale of 1 to 10, our family drama was about a 3! Which is pretty good for 42 people and excellent for my Family
. Again from these forums, the one thing I have learned is to nip family drama in the bud. Just say no! "Aunt C, can I bring my long lost boyfriend?" NO! not even if he stays offsite!
"Aunt C, can I share a room with my girlfriend?" No!, she sleeps with your cousins, this aint the Love Boat!
Gotta love the young ones! Tough love worked and we kept the focus on family.
Another great feature of having a Family Reunion at WDW was Magical Express! Because we stayed at the Vacation Home in the beginning, everyone was arriving, my brother was back and forth to MCO to pick up the young adults that couldnt rent cars. But departure was EASY!! We set up ME the night before and everyone magically disappeared! It is truly a Magic Bus!
My most magical moment was being able to have my niece and her husband with us. We lost her mom 2 years ago to cancer and then she had a baby last year and 3 months later her Active Duty Dh was sent to Iraq. He's been gone since Oct 2006 and he was able to come home for 2 weeks leave for the reunion. They spent a great week at SSR and he did the Richard Petty Experience and loved it and they just had a really great time. Their 7 year old fell in love with Legoland at DTD and collected many sets. He returned to Iraq last Saturday to finish his tour in 2008. Be safe Mike.......
DISNEY FIX
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2007
Have you found your sanity? 
Last question, how many of these people are now x-friends or x- relatives?
Great work.
Chris
Last question, how many of these people are now x-friends or x- relatives?
Great work.
Chris
Longhairbear
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2006
That all sounds great!I finally have time to start my TR
This was our Family Reunion tripWe had 1 Grand Villa and 9 studios at SSR for 4 nights and 42 people
My family loved SSR!! The secret is definitely out, they didnt want to leave!
The first 4 nights we stayed in a Vacation Villa at Highland Reserve in a 4 bedroom and it was really nice, especially for the price. We pretty much had people arriving each day leading up to the reunion at SSR which started on June 24th so we opted for the home instead of several hotel rooms. Great choice and we had a nice relaxing time hanging out at the house, swimming, and watching movies.
Sunday morning I went to SSR to check all 42 of us in. I've been coordinating this reunion since January, and everything went as planned. It was around 10 am and the Grand Villa was ready!! They also granted our requests for Congress Park DTD view!! The front desk went above and beyond to ensure we had a smooth check in. It was truly magical from the time I walked into the Lobby.
We gathered at the Grand Villa and everyone was in AWE at how nice it was. This was our first stay in a GV also so I was really excited. I went back and forth about spending the points, but the GV allowed us to all have a gathering place. We had all the rooms by 3 pm and only 1 problem out of 10 units and that was fixed by 4pm.
We only slept 8 in the GV and 2 of them were our boys. We didnt use the living room for sleeping and that kept it open for everyone to visit.
We had family meals each night and that was fun, because many of the adults did not go to the parks so we hung out and talked and cooked. Im at WDW at least 3 times a year, and we stayed for another 10 days after everyone left, so I really enjoyed spending that time with everyone while they were there.
SSR was a perfect location. We had a midnight BBQ and swims at the main pool, the young people went to DTD and the movies, we took a sister trip on the boat to DTD and walked around and then back to SSR, we played games at Community Hall and took walks around the resort. We sent the oldest sister to the spa for a pedicure as her special gift and she loved it!!
It was truly a miracle and I dont regret 1 point I borrowed!!
To tie up the SSR portion of my Trip Report, we also spent 4th of July at SSR.
All the family left on June 28th except for my niece and her DH who left on the 30th so it was just the 4 of us for the 4th.
We spent the day at Blizzard Beach and got back to SSR just in time to make Red, white or blue Homemade Ice Cream at Community Hall and take part in the pool party at High Rock Spring. It was very busy for the 4th, but plenty of lounges available as it was later in the day.
They had a really fun 4th party at the Congress Park Pool that started around 8:30pm and the PI fireworks were at 11pm. There was music, a cash bar, bingo, they gave out beads and flags, cha cha slide, we had a great time. Fireworks were Awesome!!
For those interested, the movies are at the Grandstand Pool twice a week and they start at 8pm.
The recreation manager for SSR moved over to BCV. The new SSR manager seems really nice and the staff is just as involved as ever, and they are really great.
It is definitely good news for Beach Club because Mike is very hands on. We stayed at BCV our last night of this trip and there were movies on the beach (there is more than 1 inflatable screen, SSR has their own and i guess when Mike moved, he purchased one for BCV too) DS and I watched Lilo and Stitch on the beach. They had a sing along on the beach and toasted marshmallows at the end, Bingo at SAB! Music at SAB! I could really tell the difference in the level of activities so be sure to check them out if you are at BCV. I did miss the man in the white hat and we didnt see Art this stay.
I will be happy to answer any questions and I will add my AKV photos and report this afternoon. Thanks for reading so far.
All the family left on June 28th except for my niece and her DH who left on the 30th so it was just the 4 of us for the 4th.
We spent the day at Blizzard Beach and got back to SSR just in time to make Red, white or blue Homemade Ice Cream at Community Hall and take part in the pool party at High Rock Spring. It was very busy for the 4th, but plenty of lounges available as it was later in the day.
They had a really fun 4th party at the Congress Park Pool that started around 8:30pm and the PI fireworks were at 11pm. There was music, a cash bar, bingo, they gave out beads and flags, cha cha slide, we had a great time. Fireworks were Awesome!!
For those interested, the movies are at the Grandstand Pool twice a week and they start at 8pm.
The recreation manager for SSR moved over to BCV. The new SSR manager seems really nice and the staff is just as involved as ever, and they are really great.
It is definitely good news for Beach Club because Mike is very hands on. We stayed at BCV our last night of this trip and there were movies on the beach (there is more than 1 inflatable screen, SSR has their own and i guess when Mike moved, he purchased one for BCV too) DS and I watched Lilo and Stitch on the beach. They had a sing along on the beach and toasted marshmallows at the end, Bingo at SAB! Music at SAB! I could really tell the difference in the level of activities so be sure to check them out if you are at BCV. I did miss the man in the white hat and we didnt see Art this stay.
I will be happy to answer any questions and I will add my AKV photos and report this afternoon. Thanks for reading so far.
dianeschlicht
<font color=blue>DVC-Trivia Contest, Apr-2006: Hon
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2000
Awsome trip!!! I wanted to do this for my DH's family. He has one brother who lives on the opposite side of the country, and one sister who lives near us. We wanted to get all the neices and nephews plus the siblings together at WDW, but DSIL said she had already been to WDW once 10 years ago and didn't see a point in going back. UGH!!! She missed the whole point of the project. That's okay though, because DBIL and his family will join us alone, and we will have fun. It just would have been great to have all the nieces and nephews together somewhere for more than an afternoon for a change.
princessesrule4
<font color=darkorchid>Nope, it's your imagination
- Joined
- Apr 20, 2005
Oh my gosh - I'm getting all teary eyed reading your TR - especially about your niece and her hubby who had to go back to Iraq! What a precious gift you gave your family and what wonderful memories your whole family now has, on what sounds like the trip of a lifetime! You sound like an awesome person!
Very heartwarming - thanks so much for posting and prayers for your niece and hubby!
Very heartwarming - thanks so much for posting and prayers for your niece and hubby!
loribell
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2001
Yeah, me too. I had to choke them back myself.
I am so happy for you that it all went to so well. Amazing that you were able to get the Grand Villa so late. I was totally amazed during our big trip that we had no problems, we definetely had a couple of drama queens with us (my daghter & niece).
henri + katie's mum
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jun 14, 2007
Congratulations on a successful reunion. It sounds like it was wonderful. I'm sure everyone will have fond memories for years to come.
If you haven't already answered this - Did everyone realize and thank you for all your hard work?
If you haven't already answered this - Did everyone realize and thank you for all your hard work?
gtrist4life
Choose wisely
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2003
You know, this is such an incredible story about family and DVC, I think it should be in Vacation Magic. LIFERBABE, if you are willing, and I hope I'm not stepping out of bounds..I hope you contact DVC and tell them about this amazing reunion.
Congrats again on making some major magic happen.
Congrats again on making some major magic happen.
J and R's mom
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2005
I agree with what gtrist said!I also find it absolutely WONDERFUL that Mike was able to join you all. I'm adding him to my prayers.
The best part of your planning is not OVERPLANNING everybody! That's pure genius! I'm taking notes.
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