Has anyone ever chartered a bus?

[bdoyledimou]

My Grandmother i turning 90 in 2010. She's a spry witty sharp and healthy lady who actually looks about 65.. but i digress..

I am thinking about planning a trip for her 90th birthday, with all her kids, grandkids, and great grand-kids (and great-great grand kids if there happens to be any).

This will be a LARGE group of people, 6 of her kids, their spouses, their kids (average 3 per family), their kids, (average of 2 per family) so basically about 40 people..

For the most part, we live in Ontario.. and i wondering what the most economical way to get this crowd down to WDW would be.

I don't know if Grandma would fly, and i suspect 40 of us would be difficult to book on a commercial flight anyway, but maybe someone here may have tips on that..

So i was thinking about a bus. A nice charter, or (due to the fact that 3 of my uncles are long haul truckers, and two of my aunts are bus drivers) just a standard bus rental for the family to pile into and head on down to the world for glorious 90th birthday.

Does anyone have any experience in this type of endeavor and could point me in the right direction?

 

[tribus121]

all though I don't live in Ontario i have worked in the bus industry for over 20 years .I dought that you will be able to find a company that Will rent you a bus for a trip to WDW For Insurance reasons most will require that their own drivers are the only ones that can drive their buses . If you decide to Charter a bus avoid really small companies with only one or 2 busses as if they have bus problems you could be left stranded ( companies like this are great for day trips and short trips because they offer cheaper rates ). I would select a company with newer equipment and get several quotes . all so remember that it will probably take 3 days each way unless you are prepared to spend big $ to pree spot drivers so you can drive nonstop .

 

[bdoyledimou]

hmm, that's not good at all ... 3 days on a bus with my family!??!?! Not even disney is worth THAT!!!

Has anyone else actually arranged travel for a group this large before? I am thinking my best bet would be to work with a travel agent... sigh..

 

[rewok]

I really don't know about charter buses, but I know that organized tour buses run through the night. May be could book with one of those companies? However, the drive IS long, and I don't feel an old Grandma would feel very well for that amount of time in a bus seat. Flight is really much faster, a bit less comfortable maybe, but trade 3 hours for 24... For me, no contest!

You might want to book airfare separately, I mean would you really all leave from the same airport at the same time? Don't know where exactly you all are, but some could do Buffalo, others Toronto, Syracuse, Ottawa, ... You'll spend the rest of the vacation together, and traveling through airports is better done with small groups anyway.

 

[bdoyledimou]

Thanks for the tips

She has a flight phobia ( my grandfather passed away after a flight from Toronto to Manitoba that was attributed directly to the "stress" of the flight.)

I have driven from Toronto to Orlando straight through 7 times.. but if i was Grandma, i would definitely split the drive (she can do 10 hours no problem as she routinly drives from Toronto to North bay and back in a day)

The Family would most likely be converging in Toronto (except two sets which would fly out of PEI and Vancouver) but the bulk of the family is within an hour or so from the Toronto Airport.

So it may be worth it to send grandma down with a couple of her trucker sons, and take the rest of the family by plane. Does anyone know if there are group discounts?!

I figure once we are down there, we would all split up and do our own things, and just meet for a few dinners/breakfasts and a special meal for her birthday..

This allows everyone to have their own kind of fun...without stepping on toes and such...

 

[WDWcanuck]

I went with a group of 16 friends down to Miami one winter. I just contacted group sales at Air Canada/Westjet and took the best price. They were slightly discounted from the regular fares. Taxes were the same.

 

[maryliz]

Check for group rates through Northwest out of Detroit. I know people who were a group of 10, and flew First Class for less than $100 pp each way. She said it was cheaper than when only 8 of them flew.

Good Luck!