Multi-generation Trip - How do you organize kids?

[Jennkneefir]

Hello! Would love to hear from folks who have gone with larger groups or extended family. Me and my partner are childless, but very close with our 4 nieces (ages 5-13). Were planning a Disney trip with my brothers, their spouses, and said nieces for sometime next summer. In a non-disney world, we often will split up with one or more parents taking a few of the kids, even if they arent their own. ie. I love thrill rides but none of the other adults do so i might take the two oldest girls and split off for an hour or two before meeting back up later. At that point they might spent a few hours with their parents while i do some shopping or ride some rides with my partner. This might also impact our am/rope drop strategies if some want to sleep in while a few others want to get there bright and early. We would create a whatsapp group or group chat for keeping track of each other, etc.

How do you manage the app/tickets/lightning lane or genie+? Does each adult set up an account and we all link up? is it easy to navigate if we switch children for a bit, or are the kids going to need to stay with their designated parent?

Am i over-complicating this? Thank you in advance!

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Hello! Would love to hear from folks who have gone with larger groups or extended family. Me and my partner are childless, but very close with our 4 nieces (ages 5-13). Were planning a Disney trip with my brothers, their spouses, and said nieces for sometime next summer. In a non-disney world, we often will split up with one or more parents taking a few of the kids, even if they arent their own. ie. I love thrill rides but none of the other adults do so i might take the two oldest girls and split off for an hour or two before meeting back up later. At that point they might spent a few hours with their parents while i do some shopping or ride some rides with my partner. This might also impact our am/rope drop strategies if some want to sleep in while a few others want to get there bright and early. We would create a whatsapp group or group chat for keeping track of each other, etc.

How do you manage the app/tickets/lightning lane or genie+? Does each adult set up an account and we all link up? is it easy to navigate if we switch children for a bit, or are the kids going to need to stay with their designated parent?

Am i over-complicating this? Thank you in advance!

when you split up make sure everyone knows who has which child. thinking someone else has child is the easiest way to loose a child. one thing I would do is make sure a parent has a picture each morning of each child with what they are wearing that day and change picture if clothes are changed for any reason

 

[Rory607]

We did a large extended family trip several years ago. Kids stayed with their parents, but we had no awesome childless aunts or uncles who wanted them, lol! My in-laws didn’t have a lot of interest in spending time with the kids (even at Disney). But I agree that you need to be very explicit about who has what kid and what the plan is to avoid anyone getting lost. Also, talk to the kids about asking an adult before they go off with another adult. Make sure their parents know where they are at all times, even if it’s just a bathroom break.

I haven’t used genie+ yet, so I’m not sure how to navigate that with a large group. But as far as general planning, we did one table service meal a day that everyone attended. Other than that, plans were flexible. Before the trip, make sure everyone is on the same page about their expectations (i.e. rope drop, must do attractions, etc.)

 

[Bayoumomof3]

We did a family trip, each family had their own MDE account and we all linked up there. Then, you can pick and choose who you are making LL reservations for.

 

[Jennkneefir]

when you split up make sure everyone knows who has which child. thinking someone else has child is the easiest way to loose a child. one thing I would do is make sure a parent has a picture each morning of each child with what they are wearing that day and change picture if clothes are changed for any reason

Thats a great idea. Buddy system for the day. Thank you!!

 

[Jennkneefir]

We did a large extended family trip several years ago. Kids stayed with their parents, but we had no awesome childless aunts or uncles who wanted them, lol! My in-laws didn’t have a lot of interest in spending time with the kids (even at Disney). But I agree that you need to be very explicit about who has what kid and what the plan is to avoid anyone getting lost. Also, talk to the kids about asking an adult before they go off with another adult. Make sure their parents know where they are at all times, even if it’s just a bathroom break.

I haven’t used genie+ yet, so I’m not sure how to navigate that with a large group. But as far as general planning, we did one table service meal a day that everyone attended. Other than that, plans were flexible. Before the trip, make sure everyone is on the same page about their expectations (i.e. rope drop, must do attractions, etc.)

110% will need to make plans on how we clearly communicate who has which child, even for short little deviations like bathroom breaks. We use whatsapp quite a bit, but will look at other chat services to see if there is something better. I like the idea of having us all message in one place in case anyone is missing, etc.

I like the idea of having one thing planned per day as far as meals go, even if not a sit-down. Then we all know we will be together for at least a part of the day. Reservations for table service would certainly make that easier. Thank you!

 

[Jennkneefir]

We did a family trip, each family had their own MDE account and we all linked up there. Then, you can pick and choose who you are making LL reservations for.

Was it straightforward to navigate? I think i will be fine, but i worry about a few in our group who arent as tech-savvy.