Family Reunion to DLR

[herewegodisney]

My SIL and I are hatching a plan for a family reunion early next year at DLR. There will be 10 adults and 13 kids (from 6 months to 9-1/2 years old). Some of us will be flying in and others will be driving. We have all different sorts of budgets to consider.

We're not sure exactly where to start. Here are some thoughts:

When: My SIL thinks that during January and February there are deals for kids so we're hoping to go then (they will be pulling their kids from school). Is this usually true?

Where: Should we all stay in one hotel? A couple of the families are large with 4/5 kids, so they will need to find something big enough to accomodate them. I expect we'll stay offsite.

Food: We have some allergy issues and I'm not sure that all of the families will be able to afford DLR food often or at all.

Time together: How much time should we expect to all be together? I expect it's hard to coordinate with so many people and interests. Any suggestions. How many days should we spend at DLR?

Outside of DLR: Should we plan on seeing anything else in So. California? Most of us haven't been there before.

I'd appreciate any help!

Melissa
p.s I've read Hydroguy's tips and am using Tourguide Mike for our trip to WDW next week.

 

[funnygarcia]

How exciting!!

I've been part of a big group meet up (where are ya hyenas??? Help this person out!).
We kept track of each other around the park by using cell phones.
Met up with each other for a few rides as a large group.. Pirates, Small World, Tiki are great for this. Otherwise we seemed to pair up in smaller groups based on interests and needs of children/adults.

For the most part we all styed at the same hotel (Hojo's) but with large family size that might not be the best option. Some type of suite hotel would be better, maybe one with a kitchenette for allergy issues?

Desert Inn can accomodate larger families
http://www.anaheimdesertinn.com/room_suites.htm

Residence Inn by Marriot
Homewood Suites

etc....

You could plan at least one big group event.. we did the birthday party at Plaza Inn (ok, teens will hate it.. ummm some adults will be annoyed by it .. but the little ones will LOVE it).

Maybe catch a show of Billy Hill and the Hillbillies or Aladdin as a large group experience.


We used PMs to send out info here thru the DIS, email or some type of letter might work better for you.
Don't overplan.. keep it loose and just plan a few things that you would really like to do as a group.

Have fun!!!

 

[herewegodisney]

 

[dizzyami]

Ok, another hyena checking in (thanks funnyg!)

One thing on the cell phones - mine did not work most of the time, so I would plan ahead with certain times and events you all want to do together.

The bday party was a blast for the kids - a great hour or so for everyone to be together at a relatively small fee of $10/head.

What we tended to do (through pre trip communication) is come up with some shared dining interests. A lot of us wanted to do the Carnation Cafe, so a bunch of us had PS's and met up then. From there we hit a couple of rides as a group, and then parted ways. This is a great way for different groups to be together at different times.

We loved the HOJO's - we comfortably fit our group of three adults and two kids in a room - and the rates are reasonable.

DCA has a few quick serve restaurants - they may be a bit cheaper and more accomodating for the group. I personally love White Water Snacks at the GCH - and the outdoor seating should fit your group. They have good priced food at huge portions - so plates can be shared.

That is all I can think of right now - but be sure to post any other questions you might have

 

[Amy&Dan]

We did a family reunion in Disneyland three years ago. We had an age range from 3 to 80 and we had a ball. There were 12 of us total. We all stayed at the Disneyland Hotel, however it is pricey. I can tell you that the Best Western Park Place Inn is the closet motel to DL (closer than any of the three onsite ones) and has these mini suites that will accomodate a family of six. You also get a free breakfast there. I believe the Tropicana and Desert Inn have suites too. I also love the Hojo, not sure if they have suites however. The Howard Johnson's also has Entertainment Card Rates. I believe you have to call the hotel directly to get this but the savings are huge and well worth buying the Entertainment Book for California (which you can do online) to get the savings. The Hojo also has a great pool area and lovely grounds. I think its always best to be walking distance to the parks. Taking shuttles or even worse, driving and parking each day can get old.

I agree, cell phones are great and its always nice to have some designated meal times. We loved our character meals, we did three that trip and they were all so fun. It was nice to have those plans made in advance. As for rides, I remember having our own boats on Its a Small World and Storybookland Canal boats which was so fun. But other times, we would divide up into sub groups. A couple of us taking the littler kids on the kiddie rides while the others did the headliners. We also saw a lot of the parades together which was fun. And we also split up some, to give families their own time. Too much togetherness is just that, too much! You know your own group, just think about how if you like to all be together doing things in real life, than Disneyland probably won't be any different!

DLR food is pricey, however the portions are huge! So you can do some meal sharing inside the parks. The character meals are really expensive, but they are so fun. If you want to venture offsite, across the street, in close walking distance is a Denny's, IHOP (where I believe kids eat free with an adult), McDonald's, Mimi's and several others. I do know the food inside the parks is more expensive, but its convenient and again, share to save money! You can bring in snacks, water bottles even sandwiches too to save money. If you stay at the BWPPI or many of the others on Harbor, you will get a free breakfast. We have done that, pigged out on the breakfast, then eaten a late lunch and just a snack during the evening parade. I have done Disneyland on a budget many times and it can be done. Also, if you have AAA, many of the character meals (Goofy's for sure) give a 10% discount which helps.

I think Disney parks are the best place for family reunions. You can spend as much or as little time together, there are tons of fun places to eat and there is truly something for everyone.

Enjoy your upcoming trip to WDW, I love Tour Guide Mike, I have used him for all eight of my WDW trips! And Hydroguy is definitely as good of a source for DL and free! Enjoy your planning!

 

[silence]

We had a family reunion of sorts on our December trip. We had 18 people at one point.

We are Disney freaks, but not everyone in our party was. Some couldn't believe we were spending 8 days there (that group was only there for 3).

We had to be very flexible when it came to planning things. But, I do recommend that if you are staying together, that you HAVE A PLAN.

We spent so much time trying to figure out "what to do next" that it drove me personally "mad" After a day of that I had a "PLAN!" the next day and it went much smoother.

We did not all stay at the same hotel, we were at 3 different locations. That was mostly because different groups decided to join us at different times, and the DLH hotel was booked up. Another family couldn't afford it so offsite made more sense for them. This was not an issue for us, we had a meeting place in the park at a specific time each day or they met us at our hotel.

We did one character meal together as a group, but most meals were on the go at counter services or off site after we left the park.

I hope you have a great trip! Have fun planning!

 

[herewegodisney]

Wow! Thank you so much for the responses. What a wealth of information the DLR board is. We're leaving tomorrow for our first WDW trip in 6 years. This is our kids first time! I'll have to research this more when we get back and I have the post-vacation blues.

Thanks again,
Melissa