Help! Planning a family trip of 17 people!

[cocacolamom]

I would love any ideas and tips that you have for making this trip an enjoyable trip for everyone, especially the "Trip Planner"(that's me).

This trip started off with only 4 of us going to 17, and 11 are Dinsey newbies. The last 4 were added in my "Disney trip excitement" over Thanksgiving dinner! We have 5 families going with 6 kids ages 2 1/2, 5, 6 (2) & 8 (2) and 11 adults(one being wheelchair bond).

There will be 11 of us driving down to Florida and 6 others flying. Were going to be staying at the ASSports. I have booked Chef Mickey's for a breakfast. Also, I have a reservation for 12 already at 50's Prime Time Cafe for lunch, but I don't know if I'm going to tackle 17 of us there. Any ideas on where to eat that's more of a restraurant, but not a character lunch/dinner?

I take ALL suggestions for any part of this trip! Thanks in advance!

Michelle

 

[SueM in MN]

For hints for the person with a wheelchair, if they can get up and walk a few steps, they will be able to go on almost all rides. If they can't walk, but would be able to transfer with minimal help from someone else in the party, there will be some rides they can't go on. If they can't get out of the wheelchair at all, there will be no problem with shows, but only some rides have cars that can hold a wheelchair.
You can follow the link in my signature to get to the disABILITIES Board for more questions.

 

[mearjan]

Thats about how our next trip is panning out it started out as I think we should skip a year then go for AK or somesuch in 2005. Well i was meaning us (DW and DSx4), however 2 days later i was informed that my brother-in-law and his family (5 total) were going. Then another day went by and it was another relative and her family (4 total) that were coming. Then my mom said oh i want to go (another 3) and then my sister-in-law is going (another 3). So like 21 and counting now and the cumulative total for all of us is (at least for me) very imposing. I did find a way to get 192 meal vouchers and tickets for 18. I think the total for all is around 8,000 which if you look at it per day is 50 bucks per day per person (any ideas for reducing this appreciated of course) which I at least consider reasonable. oh well ive rambled enough just wanted ya to know your trip had simularities to mine.

Heck forgot some tips.
Annual pass it realy reduces the rate you pay for onsite
and any credit card that gives you money back for stuff you have to buy anyways as long as it has that 20-30 day grace period before they charge interest.

 

[cocacolamom]

SueM in Mn & mearjan,

Thanks for your advice. The information on wheelchairs will be helpful in my planning of she can see without any hassle.

Mearjan, now I know that there is someone else out there that is planning the same kind of "event". Mine planning sounds a little easier. I'm just setting up the reservations, not doing the purchasing of vouchers...o.k., so I might end up doing that too! Ha!

Thanks again to both of you.

 

[Rence]

When we travel as a large family group we have had great success with adopting to “No Waiting” rule.

With a large group, you will always be waiting for someone. There is always one person running late. Without the “No Waiting” rule, you spend two-thirds of your trip waiting for someone to catch up.

All adults have cell-phones and each family has a walkie-talkie. We set a time and a place to meet and at the designated time, we head out. – No Waiting.

If you wait for stragglers, the kids (and some of the adults) will go nuts. All this fun stuff to do and you’re standing around waiting.

It also takes stress off of parents when a child decides to have a melt down. One of my nieces is prone to tantrums. In the past my sister would have the double stress of dealing with her daughter and having to get at a designated meeting place because everyone was waiting. Now she knows that she can just deal with her daughter and catch up with us later. She will not keep anyone waiting.

With cell phones and walkie-talkies its not hard for a straggler to catch up. And once someone gets left behind, the usually aren’t late again.

 

[mearjan]

In 2002 when we went A friend of DW came along and it was a nightmare pure and simple. They fought, argued and complained constantly then she had the nerve to get mad when we wanted to do a family thing with just family (she at least acted mad at us for 2 days). Well this time i put my foot down and when each family that got added i put it bluntly-- we are staying onsite i will not escort you to your rooms or parks thats what the buses are for. I wont wait for you if we get up at 6:00 AM and get ready to leave by 7:30 AM and your still in bed at 8:00 AM and dont get upset if we do a character dinner or somesuch and we want to do it just us, other than that lets have fun . ok my rant is done got me all fired up about that again

 

[cocacolamom]

Rence, I love your "No Wait" policy. I think that this is going to have to be a must for this vacation. I know that my feelings would not be hurt if someone went without me, if I knew I had the walkie talkie or cell phone to get caught up with them. I know that we have 3 pairs of walkie talkies within the group.

Mearjan, it's o.k. to rant every no and then! Ha!

Keep the great ideas coming...I need all the help I can get. Thanks!

 

[solotraveler]

Cocacolamom-

One thing that I think is VERY important for these large family trips is to NOT feel as thoug you must spend every minute as a 17-some. I would highly recommend spending some times with just your own family unit...maybe even have a "parents night out." Remember-- with a group that large no one is going to be happy doing the same things together all the time. You'll have a great time, I'm sure!!

Best of luck to you!!
Solotraveler

 

[ironz]

Our family went as a group of 19 in January 2000. It was the most fun!! We had our mother (about age 70 at the time), 10 adults in their late 30s to 40s (myself, 5 siblings, 4 in-laws), and 8 kids (ages 5 to 14). It was the same as described above...I decided to go; Mom and sis and sister's kids were in immediately, and the other families joined over the next couple of months.

We got several rooms together at the Poly...with one couple who has no kids also at the Poly, but down the hall from the rest of us. We weren't hip to APs then, but got AAA room discounts or Disney Club, I think.

We made a few PS's for dining...the Biergarten, the Luau at the Poly, and maybe one other...you have to make those through group travel for a party that large.

The KEY to our trip, I think, was that we went in January (4 of us ran the half marathon). There are no significant crowds at that time of year. We also did the walkie-talkie thing so we could break into smaller groups from time to time, though we really spent quite a bit of time as a large group.
One unofficial rule was that once one person had to go to the restroom...everyone went...I guess we got our bladders pretty much on the same schedule!

Hope you have fun on your trip...I think we were lucky 'cause we hit the perfect window as far as kids not too busy to go and able to get out of school for a few days...now that more of them are in high school, that won't be happening at an uncrowded WDW time again any time soon.

 

[greendoor678]

My first suggestion is to adopt the other poster's idea of 'No Waiting'.
That's an awesome and brilliant idea from someone who obviously has some experience in this area!

My family had a tough and stressful time just keeping up with 6 people. We should have adopted the No Waiting rule! haha

One thing my family has learned is that the kids will go and go and go--keeping up with them is tough!
My nephew who was 7 on one of his trips to WDW, really didn't care what he was doing as long he was having fun. He loved the parks, but was pretty content just hanging out at the hotel pool and swimming all day too! In fact, one of the days all he wanted to do was swim at the hotel pool!
If my fam had known that he didn't HAVE to be at a park each day, they could have saved lots of $$$ on his park tickets.
The next time my nephew went to WDW was this past July (age 8) and my family brought him to DisneyQuest at Downtown Disney for one day and he had a blast. This saved them some money on buying additional parkhopper passes, etc.

My next tip would be for you to check into the Magical Gatherings planner on disney.com
It's a free planner you can download from their site and put together a lot of vacation info that your entire family can have access to. Each 'member' of your magical gatherings group can download their own planner and post their likes, dislikes and ideas for the trips. Plus, you can all send email and chat with each other via the MG planner.
IT's a pretty fun tool.

Have fun!

 

[cocacolamom]

Thanks everyone! It sounds like the general rule for large group is the "No Waiting" policy. Also, I like the Bathroom policy that Ironz had, now if I can get everyone on the same sleeping schedule we'll be doing great! I had seen it on the website for the Magical Gatherings Planner, but didn't realize what it really was. I'm going to have to check it out. Actually my SIL just called me about "The Itinerary", and now I know where I can send them to. Thanks!!!

 

[Montana Minnies]

Excellent Threat!
We have 8 family members going in Aug. Six from Montana ( who live in different sections of the state) and 2 who live on the East Coast. My sister and I are trying to get things organized and the rest can not understand why we need to know things so early for.
So I can not begin to imagine what it must be like for those of you who have even more attending.
Sorry I really don't have any tips for you, just wanted to let you know that I have enjoyed your thread and the postings. The suggestions have been a lot of help.
I was wondering how far in advance do you make some of your PS's
like for the dinner shows and Character Breakfast? Some of us will be arriving on a different date, so being able to arrange when we all will be able to meet for an event seems to be leading to some kaos. So far we are fairly sure of one date and that is my one nieces birthday, we just don't know for sure if all 8 of us will be there to attend. Do you set a deadline as far as when people need to let you know if they want to go or not? Does the Magical Gatherings planner help with this? If you want to PM me a response that is ok, or post it.
Thanks again. Great Thread!

 

[mearjan]

I also am worried that i will do all this planning and then several people will back out (mainly because they were not that serious) and i dont mean because of illness or something that is completely understandable.

So my plan is to seperate the wheat from the chaff so to speak as im gonna ask everyone for one nights room deposit thats gonna be around March 1 (tax return time for me) and im gonna send all of that in and if they dont really have a good reason for not doing the deposit they dont get a room (only 129 deposit/room and i want to pay that much its not what disney is asking). I know sounds kinda harsh but you gotta have rules.

Unfortunately we are not renting enough rooms to get the multiple room discount (takes 10 rooms sheesh) but disney called me at home (after i emailed them) to gladly tell me they would sell me as many tickets and vouchers as i needed (my conservative estimate is like 200 vouchers) since i want to have as much of this trip paid before we leave as possible, i hate getting ready to leave a trip and then having to pay x dollars, its much better imo to pay as much as possible.

 

[greendoor678]

If you plan on taking a large crew to WDW, don't forget to check out renting a house or condo in the area for your stay.
Sometimes there are some REALLY great deals out there.
You will be in charge of your own transportation, but sometimes it saves a lot of money.
My mom rented a house in Orlando for about a week this past summer. It ended up being a lot cheaper than any hotel , and she said the house was fully furnished with it's own pool.
Just an idea for all you Dis'rs bringing a huge group! Check out Ebay...this is where she found hers!( But always double check and research the property owner's creditentials before renting. ! )

WDW also has the Home Away from Home resorts. I've stayed at Old Key West a few times and we had a 2 bedroom condo with a full kitchen , living room and 2 full baths. When you look at the price, you will think it sounds too expensive. But when you start breaking it down per person for the week and all the conveniences available they really can be a great deal.

About the Magical Gatherings Planner:
I haven't checked out whether you can actually make reservations on there or not. You will be able to access Disney's website via the planner though . It's mainly a tool to help you and all your 'crew' communicate with each other regarding information for your trip. Don't forget to order a free Magical Gatherings DVD or Video from Disney!

Hope this helps anyone out there interested!

 

[greendoor678]

P.S.
If you are the designated Trip Planner for a large group (or even a small one!) don't be afraid to make educated decisions for the group. I think the idea about getting family member's deposit is good

Sure, it's great to get everyone's input and ideas, but you can't possibly accomodate EVERY person's wish or you will end up with a really huge headache!

Make sure to keep good communication with all others involved in the trip throughout all the planning stages.

Be flexible yet firm!
And Have Fun!

 

[mearjan]

This summer we got a vacation home 3 bedrooms for $590.00 for 8 nights and ive gone the as cheap as i can get it route every year but for the time i have planned the trip it will most likely be the last one for our whole family to WDW (will not be the last but our oldest is almost a teenager now) and i am looking to make it even more special than i think going to WDW is. By all accounts staying on property is the most enjoyable way to go so even tho its prolly gonna cost our group an additional $800.00 it is worth it at least to me

We stayed at the Royal Pacific for our anniversary and it was very nice to walk past the pool down a path and be at the front gates in less than 5 min.

 

[cocacolamom]

Thanks again everyone for your great information. Today I downloaded the Magical Gatherings Planner and it's going to be great for keeping everyone up-to-date on what I have planned. Because most of our group are "newbies", I will probably be the one telling more than asking about what to see. My family is very flexible and they will just go with the flow. I figure that they might venture out after a couple of days in the parks.

The one thing that I'm really excited about is that my DH and I have booked the Aqua Seas tour for an afternoon. Hey! This will be a great time to get away from the group (and our 2 sons) and enjoy some alone time.

Anyone find out if we can book reservations through the Magical Gatherings Planner? Also, anyone know of a place that can accomodate all 17 of us for dinner or lunch at one table, but not the disney dinner & show programs?

Mearjan, I don't think that it's unreasonable to ask for the deposit of $129. It will tell you who's really interested and who's not. Keep up the great planning.

 

[mearjan]

the planner will not do any reservations you have to call them and they give you an id number that you put in the planner and anyone in the group can see and i guess check on stuff themselves

 

[kadaten]

Anyone find out if we can book reservations through the Magical Gatherings Planner?

No, you can't book through the online planner. When you call to make your initial room reservations, call the Grand Gatherings Planners at (407) WDW-PLAN. They will make your room ressies, and designate you as an official Grand Gathering and assign you a Grand Gathering number. This number will be what links all of your reservations together.

Though this program allows everyone in your group to make their own reservations and link them under the Grand Gathering number, since our group was mostly newbies and DH and I are fanatics, I have done all the planning, reserving, etc. I made all the reservations and have all correspondence sent to me. In addition, after ressies were made, I contacted each paying family member, told them the amount of the deposit and asked how they wanted to take care of it. Not wanting to be bothered with the details, every paying person provided me with a credit card number to pay for all of their charges (room deposits, prepaid events, etc.) I simply email them a total anytime I make a charge and always wait until the last day or 2 to do it so they don't pay any earlier than they have to. This may not work for every family, but it worked for us because 1--they all trust me, 2--I know what I'm doing with the ressies and they don't, 3--as a cheapskate they know I'm trying to save money everywhere I can, 4--with everyone paying their own way, we don't have to bother with reimbursing each other for stuff, and 5-- if someone backs out at the last minute, they lose the deposit, not me! (BTW, noone at Disney has ever blinked an eye when I called in and used 6 different cards in 6 different names to pay for our stuff. I just tell them I'm the family coordinator and they're fine with it. Plus, I've been doing this for months and they can see there's been no complaints on our accounts.)

Also, anyone know of a place that can accomodate all 17 of us for dinner or lunch at one table, but not the disney dinner & show programs?

Most restaurants will be happy to help you, although there are limitations. First, for any group over 13, you must use Group Dining to make your reservations (407) 939-7707. They will tell you any restrictions at the restaurants you want. For instance, at most restaurants, to guarantee you tables together, they may insist that you eat either in the first 20 minutes or last 20 minutes of the seating times. (Fore example--Boma--dinner for our group of 20--to guarantee seating together we could only have a PS for any time between 5:00 and 5:20 pm or 9:20 and 9:40 pm. Too early and late for us, so we're doing 2 PS for 10 people at 8:00--and plan on showing early to kindly ask to be seated together. If we're not, it was a risk we took to eat when we wanted.) So far, we have PS at Boma (breakfast and dinner), Candlelight Processional dinner at Marakesh, 1900 Park Fare dinner, Ohana dinner, and CRT (but only for 8 of us).

Just in case you haven't heard of them--you should check into some of the Grand Gatherings events. Your Grand Gatherings planner can tell you all about them, and there's info here on the DIS. We have the Magical Fireworks Voyage reserved for Dec. 20. I'll post a review after we get back. There is also a breakfast event at MK, and dinner events at Epcot and Animal Kingdom. These events are only open to Grand Gathering groups and only offered twice a week. They include special events and character interaction in a more intimate setting. (MFV leaves from Contemporary Marina, hosted by Capt. Hook and Smee, storytelling by Patch the pirate, fireworks viewing and desserts, greeted by Peter Pan on return to marina for visiting time/photos/autographs.)

For our trip, we have one whole-group activity planned each day (usually a meal) and then the rest of the time is for small groups to plan as they wish. Now within 10 days, it looks like most of our group will be following me, DH, DD (3years), and DS (16months) around the parks, which is fine with us. We'll hit the same park, pick somewhere to meet for lunch, and be able to spread out from there. With lots of "plan-as-you-like" time, noone feels pressured to always stay with the group, the kidless couples don't feel like they are in romper room all day, the grandparents feel free to take some leisure time, and we feel free to take time for our own little family, all without hurting any feelings. We're hoping this will be the perfect balance of family and alone time....we'll let you know after the holidays!

Hope some of that helps..and feel free to ask with any other group questions!
Katie

 

[cocacolamom]

Katie, thank you so much for tons of information! I didn't know about the Group Dining number to call. When I called for ressies at 50's Prime Time Cafe they had a hard time with making ressies for 12. Now that the our group has gone up to 17, I don't know if 50's Prime Time Cafe is the best choice for such a large group. Maybe my DH, DSs and I will have to make a seperate reservation to go, it's one of our favorite! I'm going to have to check into the Grand Gatherings dining events to see if we can book those.

I am looking forward to your post after you get back from the MFV. My DS is a big Peter Pan and Capt. Hook fan.

We are finding that how you have scheduled your day for the group is what we will be doing. Getting together for one time during the day, but leaving the rest of the day open. I like that.
(My DS requested that I put this on for you)

Michelle