HELP!!! Planning a trip for a family with many ages!!!

[klacey1]

I thought this posted before, but I can't find it at all, so I'll post it again.
Here's the list of people going on our August 20-25th Orlando trip, which will reveal the problem, I think!

Me- Middle aged mother, loves thrill rides, not a Magic Kingdom fan
My daughter- 19 at time of trip, loves thrill rides, Magic Kingdom fan
SIL- Middle aged, hates thrill rides, never been to Disney
Niece- 11, loves all rides, not really Magic Kingdom fan
Nephew- 8, never been to Disney
SIL's nieces- 12 and 13, never been to Disney

There are many varied ages on this trip. Half like the thrill rides, half don't. I took my daughter and niece to Disney 2 summers ago and we went to Magic Kingdom, to my Disney. My daughter liked it best of all of us and is the only one begging to go back-- she also keeps pointing out that if my SIL and her son/nieces have never been to Disney, Magic Kingdom is a must.
Universal and Islands of Adventure are a big must for me, and my daughter/niece really want to go to SeaWorld again. (I could take it or leave it). My daughter also wants to go to Hollywood Studios, considering the last time we went was 7 years and it was pouring (we were also not acquainted with the park, and the only ride we managed to get on was the Great Movie Ride).
The issue is-- a great range of ages and ride preferences-- there are no height issues, and I'm not really sure if my nephew/sil's nieces like thrill rides or not. We have 5 days and would love to get in 5 parks. What is the best way to do that?
We are not staying on Disney property, by the way (We're staying at the Doubletree Castle-- looks beautiful and seems to have good reviews!), but we'll be renting a minivan, so transportation is not an issue.

 

[dspads]

If I were you I would make a general plan about which park you were going to go to each day. Then maybe decide to have lunch and/or dinner together. That way you will feel free to seperate and not pressured into always doing things together. If you know everyone wants to do most things in say, Fantasy Land, hit there first, then seperate after. It is hard touring with a lot of people. It really depends on the group and everyones personality.

HTH a bit

 

[klacey1]

We'll definitely make meals together (probably lunch offsite...possibly dinnners)
Though impossible, we'd like to really stick together...my sil wouldn't feel comfortable going off on her own with the kids in a place she doesn't know. and my daughter would be capable of showing them around, but she and i would be interested in the same things, so splitting us up would be pointless...
but thank you!
any more ideas?
plus, specifically, what parks would be good for our group? (we have 5 days, universal and IOA are a must!)

 

[Diamondintheruff]

Everyone in your party is old enough to do a little research on their own. Have them tell you two things they really want to while they are down there and plan from there.

 

[klacey1]

The only problem with that is that 1) The 13 yr old doesn't speak English
and 2) The rest just think of Disney as Magic Kingdom.
Can anyone give me more specific reccomended iterneraries for the 5 days? It's been left up to me to completely plan the trip...

 

[Diamondintheruff]

If you want specific plans- sign up for TGM or buy the Unoffical Guide book. They have specific plans.

 

[irene_dsc]

The only problem with that is that 1) The 13 yr old doesn't speak English
and 2) The rest just think of Disney as Magic Kingdom.
Can anyone give me more specific reccomended iterneraries for the 5 days? It's been left up to me to completely plan the trip...

Well, you aren't going until August. They've got plenty of time to learn! Heck, I planned our trip in 60 days, and when I started, the only rides I knew about were POTC, Space Mountain, Spaceship Earth, and the general existence of World Showcase! If nothing else, you can get them a copy of the planning dvd, tho that mainly showcases the big headliner stuff. But, it at least gives you an idea of what is there.

But, Ikwym about trying to plan for a group. I helped plan a family trip to Cape Cod a couple years ago - the 4 of us (with 2 little kids), my parents, and my sister and BIL (no kids). We got a bunch of ideas ahead of time of stuff we might want to do - I did most of the research. I have to admit, the place I wanted to visit the most, I made sure to plan for the first full day, so we wouldn't miss it! But, we pretty much told everyone what we wanted to do, and they could tag along if they wanted to - or not. We mostly did stuff as a relatively big group, but not the whole time.

The only things you need to know ahead of time is if you want to make any ADR's on-site, which doesn't sound like a big priority so far. And, it would be good to know which parks are least crowded - definitely plan to avoid EMH days, since you are staying off-site! But, other than that, not sure what to tell you...