How much info do you give in planning a trip???

[mudnuri]

Planning a grand gathering with 14 for February.

Me being the anal planner, have all the guidebooks, know about the dis, allears, etc...

How much of this trip should I plan, detailed plan, or just run by the seat of their pants.

Do I tell them what parks to do what day- and why, or let them decide? I know theres no way that 14 of us are going to be spending 24/7 together as a mass group on this trip, however I dont want them to not enjoy WDW because they didnt' plan ahead and know what to expect.

I feel sort of "overbearing" when I start explaining WHY we want to do different things- like use EE, then get outta that park early afternoon etc. or why its important to understand how to use the fast pass system

We'll be there feb 15-22, I'm expectin the 15-19 to be not too bad crowd wise, but if its horribly crowded, well.....they're gonna have a terrible time, if they dont know the ins/outs.

DH says- "tell them what were doing, make some PS's for everyone and plan our days together, meaning we're at the same place at the same time, (park, DTD, hotel etc.)...

I was lucky and found the Dis in the early planning stages of our April trip last year, and was completely at ease with easter crowds..HOWEVER...they do not have this luxury.

HELP I dont want them to think this is a super complex vacation either!

UUGGHHH

Brandy

 

[capthooksmom]

Our family has gone as a group of 10 this year and in 2001. We tried to do some things in the parks together, but found it was just too hard to move a large group like that. Someone was hungry, needed a bathroom break etc. What worked best for us last time was talking beforehand and setting up some specific activities/meals where we would be together. The rest of the trip was planned around that. DH, DS and I followed touring plans so we could maximize the time we had and do everything we wanted to do. SIL and family like to start late and fly by the seat of their pants. Grandparents found us at different places so they could see their grandchildren enjoying WDW. I made everyone listings of park opening and closings, special events, PS and reservation #'s, don't miss shows/rides, which parks were best/worst for each day, etc. I also offered them the touring plans for the WDW parks and Universal. It was their decision whether to use them or not.

 

[Lady Cluck]

I'm so glad you asked this question, mudnuri. Like you, I'm in the very beginning stages of planning a group trip for my extended family possibly in Oct 2006 and have wondered the same.

At this point in time the group includes about 15, possibly more by the time the dates get closer. Most of them have been at least once, but they are clueless about the "planning thing". . In principle, most of the adults have agreed that time frame would be about right.

I don't want to overwhelm or bore them with the details or come off sounding like a "know it all" - which I'm not, but I do want everyone to get the most that they possibly can out of the trip. The plan right now is to have a family discussion over turkey and dressing next Thanksgiving 2005. At that time, I'll give each family literature that I've picked up from a travel agency and a planning video. I will also give them a brief timeline for the basic arrangements and decisions that need to be made - travel, resort vs off site hotel, park tickets. With a group this size, I'm thinking it would be a wise idea to enlist a good travel agent who specializes in Disney vacations. Aside from the fact that I would probably end up being a stressed out , there are just too many variables and things that can go wrong to try to do it all myself.

Thanks too, capthooksmom for the suggestion to give everyone the info they need, then just let them make their own plans. Since there will be plenty of time between Thanksgiving 2005 and Oct 2006, I'm considering doing a monthly family newsletter, rather than just dumping a lot of info on everyone all at once. This will give them time to think about Food & Wine Festival events, the halloween party, Fireworks Cruise, or anything else that might appeal to them.

Do you think buying a copy of the Birnbaum kids guide would be helpful or interesting to the older kids in our group? In 2006, the kids ages will be 6, 7, 8, 15, 16.

 

[MelodyMack]

We are planning our trip with at least 10 adults and 2 kids in mind and this issue has come up several times.

In a previous life, I was "SuperPlanner" and loved that security that being organized provides. That feeling of holding a crisp park map outlined and ready to go would make me giggle with delight. I can remember printing out itineraries and excitedly passing them out....but, alas, now I have a gorgeous DD3, and am planning a trip with a diverse group, so I have sadly accepted that my former "Miss Organizer" title must be retired.

However, I have found a compromise. I gathered some great INSIDER tips and Park Must Do's on this site. So I printed them all, organized them by park, and created little Fun Fact Sheets for each park for each member of the family. On the back of eack page I outlined a general park itinerary (keeping in mind, we won't be together the whole time and with kids who knows right?). This way we have at least ONE plan ready to go, and if everyone wants to follow it then GREAT! If they don't, the Fun Facts should soften the message and no one will think I'm just trying to be plan everything.

I haven't pulled this one out of my hat, but I will check back in after our February trip and let you know how the family handles it...GOOD LUCK with your planning!
Mel

 

[crisi]

Our group wasn't big (only six) but it was two preschoolers, DH and I, and my husbands mother and her sister (who is around 70). In 2007 I'll be going with 11 (my family).

Here is my advice:

Explain to people up front that 14 people will not move through the parks together happily (because of bathroom breaks and different interests - 14 year olds will probably NOT want to ride Dumbo and the three year old will probably NOT be patient waiting for his cousins to get off Splash Mountain - besides, time is limited) so that the expectation for dividing up is set early on. Also, this will help people recognize you won't be with them every hour of the day to play tour guide.

If they haven't done Disney before, give them an idea of the scale - four major theme parks, two water parks, 99 holes of golf, 55 square miles, 12,000 (or something) hotel rooms....that's what I usually use to give people some idea that they MIGHT want to have a clue about what they are doing before they get there.

If you all have email addresses, set up a family listserve (yahoo groups for instance) that you can all use to talk about your trip (and other family stuff). Use this to send out links to this site and others and plan.

Make a general plan "We will be in MK on Sunday morning for EE and hope to cover Fantasyland. Then we will hop to MGM for the afternoon because it shouldn't be too crowded - we have Tower of Terror and the Stunt Spectaular on the agenda" Let people have a general idea of where you will be going and why. Most likely, the non planners will look at your reasons and end up in the same park. When we split off from Grandma however, she would have completely different park experiences - relatively uncrowded in the Hall of Presidents, while we were skipping out of the park because of the crowds.

Make sure all parents know they are responsible for their own kids. If there is any kid swapping going on, make sure all parents know. You don't need "I thought you took Austin with you when we got off Peter Pan's Flight?"

Plan one "family" event a day - encourage, but don't require, participation. It could be a big deal - Hoop De Doo, or a little deal - an afternoon by the pool, a "we all ride the safari together first thing in the morning before splitting up." We always did dinner together. When planning these, try and be aware of the financial impact. A guys golf afternoon might sound like fun - if everyone can afford Disney's expensive green fees.

 

[capthooksmom]

Originally posted by Lady Cluck
I'm so glad you asked this question, mudnuri. Like you, I'm in the very beginning stages of planning a group trip for my extended family possibly in Oct 2006 and have wondered the same.

At this point in time the group includes about 15, possibly more by the time the dates get closer. Most of them have been at least once, but they are clueless about the "planning thing". . In principle, most of the adults have agreed that time frame would be about right.

I don't want to overwhelm or bore them with the details or come off sounding like a "know it all" - which I'm not, but I do want everyone to get the most that they possibly can out of the trip. The plan right now is to have a family discussion over turkey and dressing next Thanksgiving 2005. At that time, I'll give each family literature that I've picked up from a travel agency and a planning video. I will also give them a brief timeline for the basic arrangements and decisions that need to be made - travel, resort vs off site hotel, park tickets. With a group this size, I'm thinking it would be a wise idea to enlist a good travel agent who specializes in Disney vacations. Aside from the fact that I would probably end up being a stressed out , there are just too many variables and things that can go wrong to try to do it all myself.

Thanks too, capthooksmom for the suggestion to give everyone the info they need, then just let them make their own plans. Since there will be plenty of time between Thanksgiving 2005 and Oct 2006, I'm considering doing a monthly family newsletter, rather than just dumping a lot of info on everyone all at once. This will give them time to think about Food & Wine Festival events, the halloween party, Fireworks Cruise, or anything else that might appeal to them.

Do you think buying a copy of the Birnbaum kids guide would be helpful or interesting to the older kids in our group? In 2006, the kids ages will be 6, 7, 8, 15, 16.

The older children might be interested in the Birnbaum book. Even if ya'll have been before I would recommend purchasing or borrowing the Unofficial Guide to WDW and WDW with Kids by Kim Wright Wiley. They both give great advice on moving through the parks. We had been before, but I used them on our last trip. We did everything we wanted to do and had plenty of down time to repeat things we liked, rest, people watch, etc. There is also good information to help the children decide what they want to ride. We also found the video Disneyland Fun and let my DS (3) watch it over and over so he could get an idea what the rides would be like. There's only 1 ride, I think the Matterhorn, that's different from WDW.
I, too, took on the responsibility of planning the vacation for our whole group. We eat lunch together every Sunday, so I gave updates that way. I also emailed res#'s, park times, etc. for each day so everyone could print them out and take with us. Planning for that many people could totally take over your life, but it's still fun. Hope you have fun planning and have a great trip!

 

[capthooksmom]

Have ya'll seen the Magical Gatherings info on the WDW website?
If not, go to waltdisneyworld.com and click on Magical Gatherings under "Choose Your Experience." That has all kinds of info on what large groups can do together. Then if you click on Grand Gatherings, you can download a planning guide where you can chat with the other people in your group.
Have Fun!

 

[Lady Cluck]

Thanks for the "heads up" about the Grand Gatherings info and the Unofficial Guide for kids. I've seen a few posts on the boards from those who have used some of the activities with mixed reviews. I know our younger kids would love the Pirate Cruise if it's still running by then.

The Planning Guide sounds like it would be very helpful. If I can get everyone communicating, that will make my job much easier. It has occurred to me that Thanksgiving here usually means Football on the TV. Maybe the adults should have the discussion shortly before Thanksgiving Day, then we can talk about it in front of the kids freely if the topic comes up. It's going to be difficult to have much of anything else on my mind!

MelodyMack, your daughter is a beautiful little girl. Hope you have a great first trip!