First Family Vacation help!!

[Happiest mommy]

I have been the designated one to plan our first EVER family vacation (immediate family only) where do I begin? it would be for May 2011 all flying out together from the same airport. the family members are me, DH, and DD's, mom 83 yrs old (first trip ever), Sister and brother in-law and nephew 11 yrs old and brother and his wife i'm looking into maybe renting a house at Windsor Hills unless you guys know of something else, my plans are still open as I am in the planning stages, to all of you guys that have done this PLEASE tell me what worked what didnt, tips ,ideas anything I have never done this before, but love the challenge as always , Thank you, Thank you Thank you because of you guys our trips have been AWSOME

 

[Coconuts]

Planning for this many people (I've never done it!) may require a TA. If you stay onsite, Disney has some Grand Gathering events for groups over 8.

Before you start any planning at all, you need to try and get all of the "deal breakers" from everyone and coordinate them. For example, they must have a king bed, they only want direct flights, etc.

Next, coordinate your dates of travel.

Then narrow down your lodging; decide where you want to stay or, onsite vs. offsite. Since you have so many people, renting a house may be the easiest/cheapest option.

Then work on transportation: driving, flying, rental cars, etc.

Lastly, that leaves your meal planning, which may depend on where you stay.

Good luck!

 

[Happiest mommy]

anyone else

 

[ksl5f123]

I would also make sure that everyone is thinking about a similar budget. If some folks are thinking luxury resort/signature dining and others Motel 6/pb&js you need to know in advance.

 

[Happiest mommy]

yes that's one thing we can all agree on is a budget, hmmm I guess i'm alone on this one

 

[4HppyCamprs]

Well I am not sure exactly what the question is ...but I would get aside from budget you would get your dates nailed, hotel, airfare or driving plans, revisit budget, dining plan or no dining plan, dining reservation, maps ordered, then the nitty gritty of any special events you all want to do together, WISHES Dessert party, MVMCP, BBB Boutique..those type of things...that is generally how I plan things...also if your gonna stay as a whole group all the time or if you are gonna go separate way and meet for meals...that type of thing...Good Luck you will have alot of fun

 

[Happiest mommy]

great tips thanks

 

[MichelleVW]

I planned a trip for 11 of us this summer. The best thing I can tell you is rent a big house with a pool!! It's so much cheaper and easier than multiple hotel rooms. Plus everyone has their own space that way. It's so much more relaxing.

Our family pretty much stuck together the whole time (except at Epcot the last day when I couldn't take being a tour guide anymore). I subscribed to Ride Max, plugged in what we wanted to do and pretty much stuck to that. Everyone knew what we were doing next and although there was a small bit of grumbling at times (it's hot etc) it went really well and better than I thought it would.

Oh, Emerald Isle resort is really close to the parks and cheaper than Windsor Hills and has 7 bedroom houses while Windsor Hills only has 6 bedroom houses. Here is the house we rented...it was AWESOME!

http://www.vrbo.com/global/siteFrame.aspx?l=11849&k=1

 

[Happiest mommy]

michelleVM thank you sooo much I will definetly look into Emerald Isle anything else please feel free to post

 

[mythreeboys]

I am currently in the process of doing something similar. I have a total of 20 or 21 people (13 or 14 adults, depends on the attitude of my FIL; 6 kids under 9; and 1 infant). Our trip is just under 6 months away. I started with resorts, figured nothing was happening without that! I looked into renting a house, but we had a few that weren't up for the idea. I ended up changing our plans to get rooms at POP! into using RCI points to get 2-2BR units at BCV and then my parents and sister rented points from someone on here to get 2 studios at BCV. Not sure exactly how many you have in your party, but renting from a DVC owner may have advantages for you. After I had the units I moved onto tickets. We got everyone the same ticket (I thought this was important), everyone got a 7 day MYW basic ticket with instructions on how to upgrade when they get there. We are driving so I don't really have any info.

I found the biggest thing to keep in mind is that you can't please everyone! Someone is always going to have a problem. I've learned through this process to try to accomodate what they want (I keep everyone updated periodically through notes) and explain why I can't do certain things. I've also made it clear to them that while this is a family trip, we are not going through the parks as a big family. We have our park plans and we will split our time with everyone in smaller groups. So far things have gone fairly smooth! Oh and if you don't have one, get yourself a security box! Once I had tickets I had no where safe to put them along with our confirmations. I made copies of everything (and actually ended up losing everything at one point). I got a security box and keep everything there now, so when we leave I just have to grab the box!

 

[michael's mom]

I agree with the above posters that you all have to figure out a few things first. Looks like you said the budget was already taken care of. It looks like you are having 10 or 11 people? If you stay offsite in a home, will you be renting a few cars? What are your plans for dining? Will you be cooking in the home or eating out daily? I am personally a fan of staying onsite but that's a personal preference. I enjoy being surrounded by Disney all the time (my family thinks I'm nuts because it's so much more affordable to rent a home and split the cost )

The next thing you should do is figure out how long you'll be there and how you want to tour the parks. Do you want some down time or do you want to go to the parks everyday? If you do the parks everyday will you be opening to closing? Do you plan on returning to your place (home or resort) for a mid-day break? This would be more travel time if staying offsite.

I planned a trip for 15 last year and it's important that you are all on the same page about how much time you will be spending with eachother! Even the closest of family members can get upset about something quickly. It's hot, it's busy, it's exciting, and costly. We have a general rule as a family that we set a basic plan for each day (and book our ADRs). If someone doesn't want to do what the main plan is, that's totally fine. Everyone knows where to meet up for meals. You want everyone to get the most out of their vacation as possible. Including you! If you spend all of your vacation worrying about whether or not everyone else is happy than chances are, you will not be having as much fun as you deserve to have for taking the helm on the planning.

We were on the dining plan last year and before I booked ADR's I asked everyone to come up with one place where they wanted to eat and that I'd try my darndest to get at least one ADR that everyone would be happy with. And that worked out well!

Good luck!

 

[MichelleVW]

We have a general rule as a family that we set a basic plan for each day (and book our ADRs). If someone doesn't want to do what the main plan is, that's totally fine. Everyone knows where to meet up for meals. You want everyone to get the most out of their vacation as possible.
!

That was pretty much the way I went about it. I told everyone, "this is the plan, but if you don't want to do it, that's fine, meet us later". It worked great. My family pretty much stuck together, and honestly it worked great.

Our family didn't want to spend a ton of money eating in the parks so we ate at the house a lot. We had each family plan one meal to feed everyone (we were there a week but only planned 4 actual meals in the house). We had 4 park days and 2 off days. On one of the off days my sister, me, DH and my girls went to Cocoa Beach but the rest of the family stayed at the house and went in the pool because they aren't beach people. Then on the other day off we all chilled in the pool and then went to DTD.

I know some people like staying at the resorts and I do too, but honestly with a big crowd like that it just seemed so much easier and so much more relaxing to have a whole house and private pool at our disposal!

 

[badblackpug]

Maybe you would want to hop on over to the DVC boards and look into renting points to stay on site in either a 2 or 3 bedroom villa. I have 4 kids and we rent points to stay in a 2 bedroom, that way we don't worry about transportation costs (we would need a van, we have 2 in car seats) and we can take advantage of the dining plan, and have our meals paid for ahead of time.

ETA: If your mom got tired, staying on site would make it easier for her to go back to the hotel and relax.

 

[Rylee]

I have planned vacations for large groups several times.

First, organize a family meeting. Have at least one person from each family/couple involved in the planning.

Gather as much info as possible on options and pricing. Present the different scenarios with as many details as possible. Ask questions and listen.

Dates - May 2011
Budget?
Driving or flying? Flying
On site or off?
Length of stay?
Car rental? How many cars?
How many days in the Park?
Tickets - base, hoppers, water parks & more?
Non-Disney parks?
On-site with/without dining plan?
Off-site cooking some or most meals? Dining out?
Whose credit card are you using for deposits or payments?
How will he/she be reimbursed?
When will he/she be reimbursed?

Remember to make copies of everything, forward email confirmations, etc.

And that's just to start. Once you have ideas and reservations in place, you need to move onto...

Dining reservations, must-see-and-do-attractions, etc.

I strongly recommend staying on-site at a Disney resort for convenience and to allow for each person/family to have as much freedom and privacy as they wish. I think this is especially important when traveling with others.

If you stay on-site, everyone can come and go as they need or want to. You can plan to be in the same park together, make ADR's together for your big meal each day and stay together as much as everyone desires. However, if someone wants to sleep in and meet up later, they can. If someone needs an afternoon break, nap, swim, or wants to go to bed early, they can easily return to the resort without disrupting the plans of others.

Staying off-site using a rental car or cars, might severely limit your options for splitting up for a few hours, if needed.

I would carefully consider the age differences in your travel party, their needs and schedules as well as their vacationing styles. I would imagine your 83y/o Mom, your 11y/o nephew, your childless brother and his wife and your baby, etc., all have very different needs... even while on vacation.

If everyone is considerate of each other's feelings... what they want this vacation to be, and hope to get out of it, I'm sure you'll have a wonderful vacation and some great memories!

 

[Rylee]

I planned a trip for 15 last year and it's important that you are all on the same page about how much time you will be spending with eachother! Even the closest of family members can get upset about something quickly. It's hot, it's busy, it's exciting, and costly. We have a general rule as a family that we set a basic plan for each day (and book our ADRs). If someone doesn't want to do what the main plan is, that's totally fine. Everyone knows where to meet up for meals. You want everyone to get the most out of their vacation as possible. Including you! If you spend all of your vacation worrying about whether or not everyone else is happy than chances are, you will not be having as much fun as you deserve to have for taking the helm on the planning.

We have the same frame of mind.

In fact, we AGREE, right up front before ever leaving home...

No one has enough vacation time or money, to spend their vacation doing what others want! If there is something you want to do... do it! No hard feelings.

We -

• Stay at the same resort.
• Visit the same park on the same day.
• Make ADR's for 1 TS meal together per day. (We may end up eating more or all our meals together, but we make ADR's for at least 1 per day.)
• Set a time to meet at the buses. Those that make it... do. Those that don't meet up in the park when they get there. No one expects the others to wait for them.

I make out index cards for each day, for each family, with some general information and a loose schedule. Example -

Monday -
Magic Kingdom
Park Hours 9-9.
Crystal Palace @ 10am
Wishes @ 9

Tuesday -
DHS
Park hours 9-7. EMH 7-10pm
Mama Melrose @ 6pm
Fantasmic @ 10pm

We usually start our day together and we stay together for the most part. If we do split up for a few hours, usually right before or right after lunch, we might split by family or we split up by age groups... some take the older kids on the bigger rides, while others entertain the little ones, or by interest... some stay in the parks, while others return to the resort for an afternoon swim or nap. We then plan to meet back up for our dinner ADR. We usually take in the nightly shows together.

Depending on the number of days we have, we have also left one day open, a free day to repeat a favorite park or have a resort day, but it's left open for each family to decide how they want to spend it.

 

[michael's mom]

We have the same frame of mind.

In fact, we AGREE, right up front before ever leaving home...

No one has enough vacation time or money, to spend their vacation doing what others want! If there is something you want to do... do it! No hard feelings.

We -

• Stay at the same resort.
• Visit the same park on the same day.
• Make ADR's for 1 TS meal together per day. (We may end up eating more or all our meals together, but we make ADR's for at least 1 per day.)
• Set a time to meet at the buses. Those that make it... do. Those that don't meet up in the park when they get there. No one expects the others to wait for them.

I make out index cards for each day, for each family, with some general information and a loose schedule. Example -

Monday -
Magic Kingdom
Park Hours 9-9.
Crystal Palace @ 10am
Wishes @ 9

Tuesday -
DHS
Park hours 9-7. EMH 7-10pm
Mama Melrose @ 6pm
Fantasmic @ 10pm

We usually start our day together and we stay together for the most part. If we do split up for a few hours, usually right before or right after lunch, we might split by family or we split up by age groups... some take the older kids on the bigger rides, while others entertain the little ones, or by interest... some stay in the parks, while others return to the resort for an afternoon swim or nap. We then plan to meet back up for our dinner ADR. We usually take in the nightly shows together.

Depending on the number of days we have, we have also left one day open, a free day to repeat a favorite park or have a resort day, but it's left open for each family to decide how they want to spend it.

That's really a great way to travel. One of the tough parts for my family is that we (mom, dad, sisters, and I) have been quite a bit to Disney so everyone looks to us for "guidance". It is hard, but we do split up. It usually takes a bit for the other relatives to get comfortable where they are. My sisters, sisters fiance, and my cousin and his gf (now wife) went off and did the "big kid" rides (DH even went with them for a bit). I stayed with my mom, aunt, DS, and aunt's two GK's to do Country Bear Jamboree and the parade. By the time that was over, the "big kids" were done with their stuff and went back to the resort, DH joined me, mom, aunt, 3kids for some stuff in Fantasy land before mom, aunt, 2GK's went back to the resort. DH and I stayed straight through to Wishes and just enjoyed quiet time with DS.

 

[Rylee]

That's really a great way to travel. One of the tough parts for my family is that we (mom, dad, sisters, and I) have been quite a bit to Disney so everyone looks to us for "guidance". It is hard, but we do split up. It usually takes a bit for the other relatives to get comfortable where they are. My sisters, sisters fiance, and my cousin and his gf (now wife) went off and did the "big kid" rides (DH even went with them for a bit). I stayed with my mom, aunt, DS, and aunt's two GK's to do Country Bear Jamboree and the parade. By the time that was over, the "big kids" were done with their stuff and went back to the resort, DH joined me, mom, aunt, 3kids for some stuff in Fantasy land before mom, aunt, 2GK's went back to the resort. DH and I stayed straight through to Wishes and just enjoyed quiet time with DS.

We've been the "tour guides" many times, too. I don't really mind, but it sometimes requires doing things differently than we might like to do.

Another thing people often don't think of... It can be difficult to tour the parks with a large group of people even when everyone agrees on a plan.

We all agree we want to do A, B, then C. Okay, off to A but Mikey needs to use the bathroom first. Okay, on our way to A, again, but now Auntie wants to stop to get the perfect picture. Check A off the list, now moving towards B, but wait... little Susie and her Mom are still in the gift shop at the exit of A. We all agree B was fun and now we're off to see C, but first, now Junior needs to use the bathroom and I want to get a Dole Whip.

I always tell everyone to, "Put their sense of humor on their packing list," 'cause they're going to need it!

 

[michael's mom]

So true! DH and I were amazed (me moreso) at how quickly we toured the parks when we were on our honeymoon. I had never been with less than 15 people...we finished each park by about 2 in the afternoon...doing some rides twice!

 

[Happiest mommy]

Thank you for the tips it's alot to consider maybe I should reconsider lets see how this goes didnt even consider staying onsite just thought it made more sense offsite but the transportation would be a major factor, would the Disney agents help me plan this?

 

[michael's mom]

Thank you for the tips it's alot to consider maybe I should reconsider lets see how this goes didnt even consider staying onsite just thought it made more sense offsite but the transportation would be a major factor, would the Disney agents help me plan this?

I have always found the disney agents to be extremely helpful! Last trip, I had to call to switch our ressies because a new great offer had been presented. While she was making all the changes, she also chatted with me (computer was very slow) she was so friendly. DS wanted to chat with Minnie....and she actually got on the phone and pretended to be Minnie; telling DS to behave for Mommy!

My recommendation would be to call the agents on the phone and tell them how many families (i.e. how many rooms) you will have. They can give you prices for each level of resort (value, moderate, deluxe). That's a start. With such a large group, I'd stay onsite because the cost for rental cars would probably out-price the offsite rental. And, then you don't have to worry about the caravan of cars trying to stay together as you drive to/from the parks. And, you'd each have your own room to return to for your privacy. As much as my family loves to spend time with one another, we also love returning to our very own space at the end of the day (own bedrooms in a house wouldn't cut it for us).

Once you have your room reservation and the prices, then you can decide if you want to do the Dining Plan. After that, which type of tickets you want. (Get those rates from the agent on the phone so you can offer the decisions to your family).

Good luck! It can be overwhelming, but if you take it one step at a time it should be easier