Planning a LARGE Group Trip

[DisneyStarWisher]

I am in the process of helping a touring company plan a high school field trip for next April (not Easter week). This is my first large group trip I've planned and could use some advice. Right now, I have two itineraries and need to choose one.

Option #1
Day 1: later character breakfast (maybe Ohana), DTD and Disney Quest
Day 2: AK/MK
Day 3: DHS/Epcot
(No Y.E.S. program planned)

Option #2
Day 1: AK (Tusker House breakfast)/DTD and Disney Quest
Day 2: MK (3-hour Y.E.S. program)
Day 3: DHS/Epcot

The price difference is less than $20, so I want to pick the best schedule. Which one would you choose, and why?

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

Ok, I know there are planners out there! I need to present my plan on Monday, so pleeeeeease....

 

[mesaboy2]

I am in the process of helping a touring company plan a high school field trip for next April (not Easter week). This is my first large group trip I've planned and could use some advice. Right now, I have two itineraries and need to choose one.

Option #1
Day 1: later character breakfast (maybe Ohana), DTD and Disney Quest
Day 2: AK/MK
Day 3: DHS/Epcot
(No Y.E.S. program planned)

Option #2
Day 1: AK (Tusker House breakfast)/DTD and Disney Quest
Day 2: MK (3-hour Y.E.S. program)
Day 3: DHS/Epcot

The price difference is less than $20, so I want to pick the best schedule. Which one would you choose, and why?

I would do Option #2 simply because you don't have to share your MK day with AK.

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

Thank you! Anyone else???? Keep the suggestions coming.

 

[scrapquitler]

I would do Option #2 simply because you don't have to share your MK day with AK.

I agree with this, if limited to only the two options given.

I would instead do something like
one full day MK
one full day EP
one day HS/AK

but that's just my personal preference. There's just too much to see both at MK and EP to limit them to a half day each. I'd skip Disney Quest and DTD in favor of more park time. If you are going to do a YES program, do it either at MK or EP and do the character breakfast at the opposite park on the full day.

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

I agree with this, if limited to only the two options given.

I would instead do something like
one full day MK
one full day EP
one day HS/AK

but that's just my personal preference. There's just too much to see both at MK and EP to limit them to a half day each. I'd skip Disney Quest and DTD in favor of more park time. If you are going to do a YES program, do it either at MK or EP and do the character breakfast at the opposite park on the full day.

Thanks for the response. I like your plan, too, but the group wants free time to be able to shop and several want to go to Disney Quest, so that can't be skipped. The reason I picked DHS and Epcot on the same day is a transportation issue. When there's 50 people in the group, the least amount of movement, the better. It would be much easier to walk between DHS and Epcot than to use a bus. Thanks again!

 

[WDSearcher]

Do all 50 people have to do the same thing?

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

Do all 50 people have to do the same thing?

They don't all have to do the same thing, but they all have to be in the same location.

 

[WDSearcher]

They don't all have to do the same thing, but they all have to be in the same location.

That's what I meant -- did they all have to go to the same place, 50 people all together.

Because another option would be to assign one choice per day. Like, Day #1 could be a choice between DAK and DTD/DQ. Day #2 between MK and Epcot. Day #3 between Studios and MK.

That way, everyone could choose which parks to see and the large group could be divided into two smaller groups (which would make things a lot easier).

 

[bopper]

You are assuming that it is important to visit all 4 parks. Is it?
Would it be better to just do, for example, MK and Epcot and maybe one of the others + DTD?
Otherwise you spend a great deal of time getting from one park to the other.

 

[neffernie]

Have you contacted Disney Events? They have people who can help with this. Otherwise you may never get reservations at the restaurants for thay many people. They can also give you options for boxd lunches or a private event. I had to set one up for work a few years ago and the private breakfast at the Odessy center was a lot easier than getti g adrs somewhere. Ended up being cheaper for our group too though there werent as many food options to choose from.

 

[hollygolitely93]

Option two... Very nice...


Why? It seems logical...

MK needs to be full day..yes program is for the discount, I presume...if not clearly a full day at MK with evening activity is warranted.

For the DTD/Disney Quest day...I like AK as expedition Everest or Safari or both are the must-haves...but an option would be resort day (if on site).

DHS/Epcot makes sense as I'm sire you want to walk over there...versus having to wait forever for boats and buses.. My only though is which nighttime activity would be better for group...Fantasmic or Illuminations...to choose where to start...I know if you don't do DhS first you risk TSMM FPs being gone...so a consideration...

Do you have set arrival and departure times for the group or are they on their own for that?

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

You are assuming that it is important to visit all 4 parks. Is it?
Would it be better to just do, for example, MK and Epcot and maybe one of the others + DTD?
Otherwise you spend a great deal of time getting from one park to the other.

I do think it's important to visit all 4 parks. I understand we won't get to do everything in each park, but I think with some planning everyone can get a good amount done in each park. If I did 3 parks + DTD (as opposed to 4 parks + DTD), I would still be moving around a lot. The only difference would be the walk between DHS and Epcot, which isn't a big deal.

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

Have you contacted Disney Events? They have people who can help with this. Otherwise you may never get reservations at the restaurants for thay many people. They can also give you options for boxd lunches or a private event. I had to set one up for work a few years ago and the private breakfast at the Odessy center was a lot easier than getti g adrs somewhere. Ended up being cheaper for our group too though there werent as many food options to choose from.

Yes, I am working with someone from Disney and Group Dining. I'm really set on a character breakfast. If we can't get one, we will just eat CS.

Option two... Very nice...

Thank you for picking one of the options!

Why? It seems logical...

MK needs to be full day..yes program is for the discount, I presume...if not clearly a full day at MK with evening activity is warranted.

Actually Option #1 is cheaper. A 2-day Premium Youth ticket is cheaper than a 3-day Premium Y.E.S. ticket. There are no 2-day Y.E.S. tickets.


For the DTD/Disney Quest day...I like AK as expedition Everest or Safari or both are the must-haves...but an option would be resort day (if on site).

We will definitely do AK as opposed to spending time at the resort. It's better for a group of teenagers to be far from the hotel!


DHS/Epcot makes sense as I'm sire you want to walk over there...versus having to wait forever for boats and buses.. My only though is which nighttime activity would be better for group...Fantasmic or Illuminations...to choose where to start...I know if you don't do DhS first you risk TSMM FPs being gone...so a consideration...

We will do DHS first for TSM. What I'm thinking is the tour bus can pick us up at DHS, so people can have a choice to either stay for IllumiNations and then walk over to board the bus or to walk over before Fantasmic and board the bus as soon as it's over.


Do you have set arrival and departure times for the group or are they on their own for that?

I'm thinking of giving everyone a window of time to move from one place to the next. Too hard to plan an exact time at Disney. So when moving from AK to DTD, I'll say, "Everyone meet me at the front of AK between 1:00 and 2:00." Then I will direct them onto a DTD bus. Make sense?

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

That's what I meant -- did they all have to go to the same place, 50 people all together.

Because another option would be to assign one choice per day. Like, Day #1 could be a choice between DAK and DTD/DQ. Day #2 between MK and Epcot. Day #3 between Studios and MK.

That way, everyone could choose which parks to see and the large group could be divided into two smaller groups (which would make things a lot easier).

Actually trying to keep up with where everyone is will be more difficult. We just took 50 teenagers/parents to New York City, and we all stayed together using an itinerary that the touring company made. It was when someone wanted to go do something without the group that we had trouble.

 

[WDSearcher]

Actually trying to keep up with where everyone is will be more difficult. We just took 50 teenagers/parents to New York City, and we all stayed together using an itinerary that the touring company made. It was when someone wanted to go do something without the group that we had trouble.

Well, of course, because you didn't plan it that way.

If you have a reasonable amount of chaperones for the kids, you could easily offer several options. I've planned / chaperoned a number of choir and sports trips, and we always provide limited choices. Example:

Day 1 -- Mrs. Smith & Mrs. Jones will be chaperoning a group to MK; Mr. Taylor and Ms. Clark will be chaperoning a group to DHS. CHOOSE ONE

Day 2 -- Mrs. Smith and Ms. Clark will be at Epcot; Mr. Taylor and Mrs. Smith will be at DTD / DQ. CHOOSE ONE.

We usually had one chaperone for every 8 kids. The kids commited to one park or experience with a chaperone and that's where they stayed (we did not have park-hopping availability). It's the kids' job to keep in touch with their park chaperone via regularly scheduled check-ins and the park chaperone's job to keep in touch with the chaperone leader (you) via regularly scheduled check-ins.

It's always worked well for us. But it does depend a lot on the kids and their ability to follow the check-in rules as well as the chaperones and their ability to maintain communication with both the kids and the leader.

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

Well, of course, because you didn't plan it that way.

If you have a reasonable amount of chaperones for the kids, you could easily offer several options. I've planned / chaperoned a number of choir and sports trips, and we always provide limited choices. Example:

Day 1 -- Mrs. Smith & Mrs. Jones will be chaperoning a group to MK; Mr. Taylor and Ms. Clark will be chaperoning a group to DHS. CHOOSE ONE

Day 2 -- Mrs. Smith and Ms. Clark will be at Epcot; Mr. Taylor and Mrs. Smith will be at DTD / DQ. CHOOSE ONE.

We usually had one chaperone for every 8 kids. The kids commited to one park or experience with a chaperone and that's where they stayed (we did not have park-hopping availability). It's the kids' job to keep in touch with their park chaperone via regularly scheduled check-ins and the park chaperone's job to keep in touch with the chaperone leader (you) via regularly scheduled check-ins.

It's always worked well for us. But it does depend a lot on the kids and their ability to follow the check-in rules as well as the chaperones and their ability to maintain communication with both the kids and the leader.

Sorry, I just don't see the reasoning behind breaking them up. If we want to see all 4 parks, it just makes sense to have one plan. Plus there are times when we all want or have to do something together, like the character breakfast or the Y.E.S. program. Those things can't be done when everyone is in different parks. Thanks for giving me a different perspective though. Do you have a suggestion on which of the two itineraries I should go with?

 

[theparsons]

I am in the process of helping a touring company plan a high school field trip for next April (not Easter week). This is my first large group trip I've planned and could use some advice. Right now, I have two itineraries and need to choose one.

Option #1
Day 1: later character breakfast (maybe Ohana), DTD and Disney Quest
Day 2: AK/MK
Day 3: DHS/Epcot
(No Y.E.S. program planned)

Option #2
Day 1: AK (Tusker House breakfast)/DTD and Disney Quest
Day 2: MK (3-hour Y.E.S. program)
Day 3: DHS/Epcot

The price difference is less than $20, so I want to pick the best schedule. Which one would you choose, and why?

We LOVE the YES program, so I'd choose Option 2 for that alone. We love the character meals but I think for such a short limited stay that it will eat to a LOT of your day for one event. And I'm guessing the average high school student would like more park time over eating breakfast with Stitch.

Also, besides being cool programs, the YES is something that the average family isn't going to do, so your High school trip would include something they wouldn't be doing themselves where character breakfast is something many families do.

(And yes, I do know that individuals CAN do the YES program, but most don't).

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

We LOVE the YES program, so I'd choose Option 2 for that alone. We love the character meals but I think for such a short limited stay that it will eat to a LOT of your day for one event. And I'm guessing the average high school student would like more park time over eating breakfast with Stitch.

Also, besides being cool programs, the YES is something that the average family isn't going to do, so your High school trip would include something they wouldn't be doing themselves where character breakfast is something many families do.

(And yes, I do know that individuals CAN do the YES program, but most don't).

Thank you! I am really leaning toward Option #2 for several reasons. As far as the character breakfast, we will try to get reservations before park opening, so it won't "eat" into our park time. Like I said in a pp, if we can't get ADRs, we will just eat CS. My DH, who is the sponsor of the group, just always likes to plan one meal together with the whole group when they travel. I picked a breakfast because we can hopefully eat before park opening and it's the cheapest meal of the day. I picked Tusker House because I've heard great things about their breakfast, and it has MICKEY! I just thought it would be a fun way to start the trip. I'm hoping we can manage both the character breakfast AND the Y.E.S. program. Thanks again!!!

 

[bprolltide14]

Here now with a group of 240. We did DTD on arrival night - 2 hours was plenty. We did Epcot today with our 3 hour Disney Performing Arts Workshop, MK tomorrow, DAK and DHS on Saturday. Give them plenty of time in the parks, and yes, you should stay on the same itinerary with the entire group. This makes it much easier on whoever is in charge.