June 2004 and June 2010
June 2004
We hosted our 1st family reunion (13) and were fortunate to have an OKW GV. My family from France came, along with others from New York, Tennessee and Florida. I know many DVC'rs are against booking a GV because too often people cancel but for us that's never the case. We really enjoy being together, sharing kitchen duty, getting back in touch with each other, talking about our children, it's a wonderful time. That year we did an Illumination cruise, and though we did spend time doing our own thing, the many, many times we spent all together in and out of the parks were fantastic. We collected everyones digital photos and made albums for each family, and each time I look at it, I get a big smile on my face, even 7 years later! We've had several since then, but the 1st stands out as the best.
June 2011
The last 2 -3 years have been very hard for both my son and I, as I'm sure for everyone else, pay cuts, the economy, family issues, we had it all. THis year my son was graduating middle school and he had worked very hard so I planned early to bring him and 5 of his best friends (all 14 yearls old) to Disney. I coordinated with the parents early (January), to get their approval, make the ADR's, buy the tickets, all was going as planned. Everyone was so excited as the days counted down. Disaster strikes! 12 Days before the trip my son broke his nose messing around with his friends in the pool! All that planning, what to do, cancel at the last minute, could not re-schedule, shuld we have them go without him (Well, He said that wasn't happening)....
DS had reconstructive surgery, and we decided to wait and see how he felt. Saw the surgeon and the only limitation was water and roller coasters. So cancel the water park day and off we all went, lucky 13, in a GV, 2br & a studio. At 14 we gave them a bit of freedom in the parks, (DS) is a pro at DVC and Disney transportation, so we felt comfortable letting them go by themselves. They joined us for meals, and my word, feeding (6) 14 year olds is an adventure! They got along great and were really well behaved for a big group of teenagers. What a fabulous time we had! Next year they are all going to different high schools, so this will be a special time they got to share together!