Planning a BIG family Trip

[Tinkerbellcrafter]

Hey Tinkerbellcrafter, my 96 Grandma lives in Waterloo NY, 1hr away f/ Rochester!

96!!??!!! Wow, that is very inspiring!! My father is from Buffalo and we live in the Bing. area....

 

[vwlvette]

This is our third year with a large group, in 2006 there were 12 of us, Reserved a 2 bedroom villa and two studios at VWL or home, in 2007 there were 13 of us, added our little princes she was 11 months old during the trip, Same deal with the rooms, We got the DP in 2007, worked out great! in 2008 actually in 19 days we are going 15 of us! once again same deal at VWL and a site at FW for a motorhome. This year we are doing the DDP, Our ressies include Artist Point, Narrcussee's (spelling) California Grill, Le Celleir (spelling), Cinderella's Castle Royal Table, Tony's Town Square, The Sea, Whispering canyon, Yak & Yeti's to mention a few. Made all the ressie 180 days out, Got everything we wanted. We are a very close family and enjoy our time together at Disney. There are 5 boys ages 10, 11, 13, 15 & 72! The Sit down meals give us all a chance to talk about what we all did and are going to do that day. but most of the time we stay together, They are the fondest memories, in 2007 we celebrated my parents 50th wedding Anv. Was an incredible trip, These next 19 days are going to dragggg!!!!!!!!!!

Just make sure that eveyone is on the same page. we are very fortunate with that. Good luck with your plans!!!!

 

[dianeschlicht]

We have done 2 large trips with 11 and 12 people in a GV at OKW. There were 4 family groups, and we tried to do ONE THING together each day, but that was the extent of the park planning. We made sure everyone had a guide book, and I went over with themm the best days to tour each park based on EMH etc. Then we planned each evening what one event we were all doing together the next day. Each person knew the time and place to meet, and everyone went their seperate ways or ended up in smaller groups of 4-6. We had no issues meeting at the appointed events, and it was a great way to do things. We also oplanned one meal each day. Our method was that each family group was responsible for meal planning one day of the trip. It was that family groups decision about where and what time we ate. Then the others would indicate if they would or would not be in attendance, and that too worked well. We always did breakfast in the villa, and some families relied on cooking for their meal day while others planned outings. It worked like clockwork! Everyone has to be invested in the program though for this to pull off!

 

[Chellymouse]

I'll pray for you!

Thank you!!!

 

[Chellymouse]

My DMIL and I are going to dinner tonight to discuss this and so far, this is what we've come up with. DH and I are making the executive decision about DDP. Everyone will do DDP. One of my DSIL can't cook for beans (it's ok, she admits this) and my other DSIL said she's not cooking on vacation especially for 11 people! (I'm not cooking either!) We have decided that we'll use garden grocer for breakfast items, snacks, water, soda and adult beverages to keep in the villas and that each family will pay for the items they order. We are still debating about accomodations. I love SSR, but to save on points, we may stay at OKW, BW or BC because we either need a GV or 2 2BR units. I'm against the GV because I don't want my DMIL on the sleeper sofa, so we are leaning toward 2 units. The Treehouses would be awesome, but that is going to depend on if DH and I can scrape up the amount needed for the add-on. We've also kicked around the idea of renting points from another member. My DMIL wants the family to do one of the magical gatherings (I've tried to tell her how much it costs, but she doesn't seem to care). We lost my DFIL 8 months ago and my DMIL says that dad would have wanted us to do it, so she's willing to pay for everyone. We are thinking that we will probably spend a day or two at most as a group as DH and I are the only non-newbies, and once everyone figures out the "Disney-Way" they should be fine on their own. My DNe will still need naps (he's a terror when he's tired) everyday and my DNi-6 will probably also be needing naps. Meals may get interesting because everyone is already "I want this, I want that" so we are thinking of maybe a couple of meals together as a family (probably character meal buffets at dinner) and letting everyone else choose their own. We have some picky eaters! DH and I are going to insist everyone have their ADR schedule to us at least 2 weeks before the 180 mark and we will cooridinate everything. The family will have to go through us to make changes! (I don't think this is a bad thing!) We are also thinking of making a schedule because DH and I want some time to ourselves and each individual family wants time for their family, however, everyone wants some "quality" time within the smaller family so we are thinking of maybe one day we'll go with one sis and bil and their 2 kids, and so on. The kids also want some time with just DH and I and that ought to get interesting, but it would also give the parents a break and a chance to see and do on their own. You know......just typing this out makes me tired!