Ideas for budget extended family trip

[rookie78]

I definitely would not rent a home. You are going to want some space and it is such a headache to travel back and forth. I would either go stay in a value or go during free dining. Also, I did hear a rumor they will not offer free dining for people staying in values, only moderates or deluxes this year. I personally like the dining plan, b/c I order what I want & it is paid for. Otherwise, I would order things just b/c it is cheap. It might help to ask what each family could afford and decide from there to figure out best deal.

 

[emer95]

We went in 2011 with 23 people. I was terrified we'd all hate each other by the end, but it was one of our best trips. We all stayed at Pop, and had the free counter service dining plan. My sister and parents had never been to Disney before, so my husband and I were kind of the expert tour guides. They were happy to follow us and do whatever we wanted. We stayed together for the majority of the trip. We always went to the same park on the same days, but towards the end we split off into our own little families. Some evenings we hung out by the pool or food court. My best memory of the trip is walking around the whole resort one beautiful evening, taking pictures of each family member by their year. Oh, and doing Bibbidy Boppity with all of the girls. I got choked up as we all sang (Grandmas included) the bibbidy boppity boo song. When we get together we all talk about funny things that happened on the trip. It was really wonderful.

 

[Jenny3]

We went 8 years ago with DH's family, which was 21 people (which I'll never do again, lol) We stayed in the Fort Wilderness Cabins, which was perfect for us. Our cabins were either next door or across the way, so we had lots of family time after the parks and the kids could run around and blow off steam.

Last year we went with two other families; we all stayed at the Boardwalk but not near each other. That was more of an 'everyone do your own thing' type of vacation, where the first we were glued at the hip every second of the day. Definitely go for the former, trust me

Have fun!

 

[tzolkin]

Thank you so much for all the replies!
It's great to hear others' experiences with a large family group.

We have definitely decided against renting a house offsite (which is good because DH & I didn't want to do that anyway). I do think it would be fun, but I think we will do it somewhere else for another trip (maybe going to the beach or something where we would really be "hanging out" instead of trying to do Disney).

I spent 7 hours in a car with my parents and one sister yesterday going to a funeral, so we talked a bit. My parents have been on 3 Disney trips, so they also have a good grasp on what would work best for everyone.

My parents would also prefer to stay at a moderate and they really like the dining plan (they have had it every trip). I will just have to talk to my other two siblings and see what they feel comfortable spending-- if a mod would work or if value is the extent of their budgets.


As for "togetherness"-- I think less in the parks would be best. I love my family, but DH & I like to do things alone with our kids and I just think it I would be too stressed and anxious trying to keep track of everyone and dealing with the wants/needs of that many people. I think it would be a constant stream of who needs to eat/drink/potty/take a picture/look at something in a shop/etc. There are a few family members who are way more high-strung and a few children who have absolutely no rules/discipline, so I just don't think trying to stay together would be a good idea for anyone.

We will likely wind up doing a few things in smaller groups, maybe just my brother's family and mine going to AK for the morning, my parents doing a character meal with the two families with pre-schoolers, etc.

I would like to spend more of our "all together" times at the resort-- let the kids swim/play, watch an outdoor movie, get pizza, have a few drinks, etc. And I think it would be nice to meet up for a few meals (which is why the DP would be good).

I have never done photopass, but I think it would be great for this trip. It would be really nice to see pictures of character meets and other times that we may have split up and not seen in person.

 

[2TxAgs]

I think not staying at a house is a wise choice. One thing I did not see mentioned was the possibility of someones plans changing and them not being able to make the trip at the last minute. That leaves open the issue of paying for their share of the house - can't make the trip but still pay their share, or have the remaining families split the additional cost? That might be a deal breaker for others....

Years ago we went with friends - we stayed at different resorts and met for dinner and a few hours at the mini golf course. That worked out since our touring styles were different.

I think the fact that there are so many young children involved requires the maximum in flexibility, which means different rooms and the easiest transportation option.

Have fun - what a great trip!

 

[Chelley00]

When we do extended family trips, everyone stays where they decide they want to stay based on their preference and budget. We meet at the parks when everyone gets up and gets there (some of us are not rope drop early birds and some are), and eat meals together. We do plan an evening off where everyone can do their own thing.

I'm not of the mind set that a family trip has to mean that you spend all your time with everyone. It's nice for me to take just my kids and do something special with them without everyone else around. Heck, sometimes we take an entire day to do what we want (this trip it was a day at Seaworld and some of the others went to Universal)

 

[Aliceacc]

I vote for the Dolphin.

According to their site, the nurse's discount means $149 rooms. According to mousesavers, a July room at a Value is somewhere between $109 and $168, depending on the date and day of the week.

If your husband and SIL can each book 2 rooms, you've gotten Deluxe accomodations wtihin walking distance to 2 parks, for the price of a Value. You have access to the Boardwalk.

For me, it's the clear favorite as long as you can get everyone a room at the Nurse's discounted rate. The only downside would be the lack of the dining plan.