If anyone is interested in a "vacation, not a convention" with other CDs and allies (ie, SOs and GGs), then you simply must consider going to Diva Las Vegas! (<-- link embedded in name).
There is no cost to register, and all the events (including hotels, restaurants) are "a la carte" - you pick and choose your activities and price-range - and all are geared with various comfort-levels in mind; your only immediate out-of-pocket expense is your hotel and travel arrangements to/from Las Vegas, which the DLV have no control over. Although there is group-pricing if you use any of their listed hotels, you are not obligated to do so; indeed, Virginia and I chose to stay off-strip with a non-casino, more business-oriented hotel (ie, no families), but we also had a rental car that week.
Event reservations are necessary, and the most popular ones do fill up quickly; events range from make-overs, afternoon teas, dinners, after-hours clubbing, golf, limo tours, karaoke, 'Night of the Soiled Doves', and the like. Attendance has exceeded 100 every year since 2003, and the highest attendance was 179 in 2010. If you would like to share a room with someone, or car-pool to any of the events, the organizers can help you with that. If you would prefer to have a day where you did things on your own, you're free to do that, too. There is also a Big Sister program in place, which is great for someone who is not quite comfortable being out in public 'on their own' or who has never been out in public before. Everyone we met - from the organizers to the participants - is very friendly.
Virginia and I attended in 2007 and had a wonderful time - indeed, we opened our Commitment Ceremony to be part of the 'events' that year - and we met some wonderful people that week; that year, there were 134 in attendance for DLV. We did attend several of the dinners - in our opinion the farewell dinner at the Bahama Breeze is an absolute 'must' - and we did the Lake Meade tour, too. We planned a couple of days for our own excursions - touring the hotels on the strip, taking the monorail, shopping - and met with 'the group' for dinner in the evening. Unfortunately, my work schedule no longer permits us to attend DLV, but we're there in spirit every year.
In the past we have had several forum members attend, to wit: Nora (a DLV organizer), Cheryl and Cindi (former members), Danette, Holly (former member), Jessie, Kimberly Kael . . . my apologies if I missed anyone, but those are the ones that I remember off the top of my head. Danette has driven there from MI every year, now that's dedication!
If you look at any of the Commitment Ceremony photos {found at DLV's site, 2007 photos, Celebrations}, you'll see Nora, Danette, Holly and Jessie as our Brides Maids. I've edited this post to remove the link to those photos because of the search bots.Testimonials from past participants, please??
- SL
Proud Military Family - Navy, Army, Coast Guard, National Guard 
