The First “Magical Families” Gathering
Friday thru Sunday, October 7-9, 2011
Walt Disney World, Orlando, FL
These are the scheduled events where you can count on finding other Magical Families. During times that are not listed on the schedule, design activities and select the theme parks that work best for your family.
Friday, October 7:
- 4 to 7 p.m.: Check-In and Meet Up with other Magical Families at Boardwalk Inn (exact location TBD). Even if you’re not staying at the Boardwalk, still plan to check in to pick up registration information and meet other families. Groups will gather at different locations along the Boardwalk for dinner and fun.
- 8 to ?? p.m.: Guys Gathering at ESPN Club (Disney’s Boardwalk).
Cost: Each participant will pay his own tab.
Saturday, October 8:
Suggested parks - EPCOT all day or squeeze in Animal Kingdom in the morning.
- 2 to 4 p.m.: Ladies/Mommy Meet Up at Beaches & Cream (Beach Club Resort — a short walk from EPCOT). Cost: Each participant will pay her own tab.
- 5 to 7 p.m.: Adoption Affinity Dinners at EPCOT Pavilions:
Meet for dinner at one of the following pavilions and enjoy meeting and eating with other Magical Families. (Each family will pay their own tab.):- Domestic Adoption: America Pavilion … Meet at Liberty Inn (counter service restaurant).
- Asia Adoption: China Pavilion … We have such a large number of families with this affinity that we went ahead and made reservations at Nine Dragons (table service restaurant) for this group. Families wanting counter service can still gather at Lotus Blossom Cafe but we’ll have the reservations available in case there’s not enough room.
- Africa Adoption: Morocco Pavilion … Meet at Tangierine Cafe (counter service restaurant).
- 9:30 to 10:30 p.m. (Note new time!) EPCOT IllumiNations Dessert Party
This is the centerpiece event for Magical Families. Enjoy this incredibly magical moment with other adoptive families as we taste sweet treats and marvel at EPCOT’s amazing fireworks display. Pre-ordered tickets, as well as admission to EPCOT, is required.
Sunday, October 9:
No scheduled activities on this day, but we’re recommending you spend this day at Magic Kingdom with families you’ve met and connected with throughout the weekend.
Monday, October 10:
Start planning for Magical Families Gathering 2012!
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us at magicalfamilies@gmail.com.
What an awesome idea!
My husband and I adopted 5 children, 4 from one family who were separated for 11 years, and one unrelated. All are now married with children of their own and successful adults. Our own children and the adopted are still very close, and the whole experience is one we would not trade for the world. I won’t say it was easy all those years, but I can say that the rewards of having these wonderful kids has been more than we could ever have expected. I would like more info about this special Disney day.
Martha, how incredible is your story!? Keep tuned into here on this site and/or the Facebook page and you’ll be “in the know” about the event. Hope you can make it!
This sounds like a wonderful opportunity for families! Can’t wait! Keep me up on it. We have 2 adopted girls, Russia and China.
Great Elizabeth! What a wonderfully diverse family! We are going to be releasing info VERY SOON.
It sounds absolutely wonderful! We are finalizing our last two adoptions (four total adoptions + 2 biological kiddos) in November and are planning on going to Disney sometime next year anyway to celebrate our adoption!
My only concern is the hotel choice.. Do they have anything for larger families (8 in our family total) or will we end up with having to get 2 separate rooms and splitting up?
Hey Momma Chaos … gotta love that title! What a wonderfully large family you are soon to have! If you would like to stay at Pop Century with the group rate, you will need to get two rooms. They will only allow 4 to 5 people in a room total, depending on age and if there’s a crib, etc. There are other options on property that could accommodate your bigger family, one of which is the cabins at Ft. Wilderness, which we’ve considered before. Plus they have a kitchen so you can prepare some of your own meals. You may also want to look at http://www.vrbo.com to see about renting a house. You wouldn’t be staying with the group, but you could certainly participate in all the other activities. As we finalize logistics, we can connect you with the Disney folks who are helping us plan the event and they can give you all the on property options. Wherever you stay, we’d LOVE to meet your family.
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We have adopted 8 children and have 2 of our own so that’s 10 (many with special needs) at home plus our helpers have three children. So we would be bringing 5 adults and 13 children but there is no pricing for that many. Any ideas on how to get pricing???
Hey Melissa. Wow! What an amazing family. SO excited about your interest in the Magical Families Gathering.
I recommend you call the Walt Disney World groups coordinators who are helping us coordinate this event: (407) 938-4868. They have given us a discounted rate on the rooms, park tickets and dining plan, and those prices are listed at http://magicalfamilies.wordpress.com/2010/11/21/magical-families-gathering-pricing/. But with your group being so large itself, they may be able to recommend some other options. One that comes to mind is that you may want to look at staying at the Ft. Wilderness cabins or some other larger room accommodation that would have a kitchenette, etc. Those can accommodate from 6 to 10 people. The Disney folks can help you with that.
As far as what we’re coordinating personally as the Magical Families coordinators, the only additional cost would be if you choose to participate in the optional Illuminations Dessert gathering on Saturday night. That event costs $32 per person and you can register for it on our event Web site: http://www.magicalfamilies.eventbrite.com.
So give Disney a call and see what they can do for you: (407) 938-4868.
I just heard about this and think that this is A.MAZ.ING! I won’t be able to make it this year, but I will definitely bookmark this site in hopes to attend the 2012 event!
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