Strategies for planning a trip with 10 people

[JeffTW]

It has been awhile since I've been to the resorts and parks. What are the best strategies' for planning a trip for 8 adults and 2 children for the week after Christmas 27-31?

 

[holden]

Book park reservations ASAP.

Book dining reservations at exactly 60 days out (you may need to split your group into smaller groups like 4 and 6, etc).

Agree at you don’t have to do everything together and that some might want to go off on their own.

Have fun planning together!

 

[ReginaMBK]

Agree, book dining ASAP. Call and request connecting rooms if applicable/if you're staying on property. Link all your MDE accounts so you or a designated person can manage everyone's reservations. Align park passes.

Otherwise, just assume that people may want to do their own thing or plans will be deviated from during the day. If kids aren't yours, figure out when nap and bed time are and work with parents to get schedules in sync so they're not left out of anything that's a must on their list.

 

[JLTraveling]

What worked best for my extended family (not Disney, but a family reunion in the North Carolina mountains) was a master schedule with one or two "main events" per day (a restaurant meal or a show or a tour). Everything was optional, no pressure, but pretty much everyone made it to at least most of the main events. Beyond that, my cousin and her husband, who did the hosting, had plenty of advice on what to see and do, and people got together in smaller groups however they wanted. Very low-stress way to keep from feeling like you're herding cats.

 

[JeffTW]

Thank you for the responses. Feel free to offer more suggestions.

 

[mrsclark]

We went as a group of 9 in 2017 - 6 adults, 3 kids - we tried to plan one table service meal together a day, but often split up at the parks. For example, my teen niece and SIL would go on a lot of roller coasters while my two nephews who were 3 and 5 did smaller rides and more character meets. What are the ages of the kids going with you? Have they been to WDW before? Where are you staying?

 

[Mtraynom]

I went as a group of 14 a few years ago, 8 adults and 6 kids. We just made sure we were flexible. The little kids went back to their rooms earlier and a few of us adults stayed out later with the older ones, and we rotated nights, so the same person was not always headed back to the room early. Also a break in the middle of the day is a life saver. Take a few hours and head the pool.

We also split up some, within the same park and met up for lunch. We had some in the group who are not thrill seekers, so they took the younger kids on the tamer rides while the rest of us rode the bigger rides.

 

[sdk1231]

I've done multi-generational family trips on 3 occasions (pre-covid). I agree with others, make park reservations as soon as possible. Resorts - I requested connecting rooms. One time I got the connecting room, which was nice - at the Grand Floridian. One time rooms were not connecting but were in the same building - Grand Floridian. One time rooms were in different buildings - Polynesian. To be honest, having the connecting room was handy, but being in different buildings really wasn't that bad. Not a big deal at all. Part of my strategy was to book one table-service restaurant per day, for dinner, and leave the breakfast/lunch open as a Quick Serve option, depending on where we were at lunch time. My Magic Kingdom #1 pick for value, large tables for large groups, fast service and family friendly food is Liberty Tree. Always a favorite of my family. MK #2 pick is Skipper Canteen, also a family favorite that I find a good value - fun atmosphere, food a little on the more adventurous side (but if you've got picky eaters, just go with the fried chicken). Our general plan each day was to start out in the morning, leaving the park by noon to enjoy "free time" at the resort. In that way, we avoided the hottest and most crowded times in the parks. We would go to the pool, take naps, go shopping, whatever. Sometimes we would split up during this break, and honestly, the bit of non-group time was nice. Late afternoon we'd get back together and head back into the park to enjoy the evening. Good luck! It'll be a memorable and fun trip!

 

[Obi-J Kenobi]

I have done a large group when I was a child. Recalling this experience as a child, one of the best memories is that my Dad and I went off together for an afternoon and spent time together riding BTMR and PoTC. I highly recommend planning days or block periods for people to split up into smaller groups and make some memories as a small group as well as the large group.

 

[dmband]

Have them all make MDE accounts, link them and have extra show at getting a boarding pass.

seriously though, with mostly adults it will be easier because people can go on their own more freely and relaxed vs a larger number of kids.
As others suggested, book dining if you want to eat together but otherwise I would just say what you are doing and invite others to do it along or go on their own

 

[FCDub]

Have them all make MDE accounts, link them and have extra show at getting a boarding pass.

Multiple people can try from the same account. Trying to link eight accounts is a recipe for tech headaches.

 

[tguz]

If we were planning a trip with multiple families.....I would like to all plan together to get input but then have everyone book on their own. I have seen where one person pays for everything and the other families pay them and sometimes it doesn't work out so well especially if there is a falling out or someone has to cancel last minute.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

It has been awhile since I've been to the resorts and parks. What are the best strategies' for planning a trip for 8 adults and 2 children for the week after Christmas 27-31?

Lots of good tips here, I'd say patience, be very patient and make sure that if you are the coordinator, you involve everyone in almost all decisions. If they say they don't care, that you know best etc. get that in writing so if they complain, you've got proof LOL! But seriously, for the choices that matter like hotel, rental car, park passes, park plans, ADRs, get input so you have feedback and if they want to be a part of the process. Good luck!!

 

[mrsclark]

Lots of good tips here, I'd say patience, be very patient and make sure that if you are the coordinator, you involve everyone in almost all decisions. If they say they don't care, that you know best etc. get that in writing so if they complain, you've got proof LOL! But seriously, for the choices that matter like hotel, rental car, park passes, park plans, ADRs, get input so you have feedback and if they want to be a part of the process. Good luck!!

This exactly - I was the planner for our 9-person multi-generational trip in 2017, but my dad was the person paying for everything. I tried to get my stepmom and him involved since it was their dream vacation and their money, but they left me in charge of a lot of it since I was the "expert." I think I missed the mark a bit on the resort I picked and since they are taking us again in 2022 I am basically forcing them to get more involved. If they push back and tell me to decide, I encourage them to look at the options and provide me with more feedback.

I have no problem spending my own money on a vacation, but trying to best spend someone else's was very stressful.

Even if everyone is paying for themselves, I would still have a rule that if you don't have any interest in planning, then you don't get to complain. And for those that do have interest in planning, work out in advance if how the final decision will be made (by a vote, by whoever is footing the bill, by one person, etc.).

 

[Boopuff]

We did a multi-generational trip a few years ago (over New Years - never again!) but our group was easy. We planned one big meal together each day - a character breakfast or a dinner. Most of the time the families split up and grandparents floated between them. Worked great for us, everyone was happy. We did book all reservations way in advance!

 

[Daisy7425]

My good friend went on a 20 person Disney trip and we talked a lot of strategy for it! It was a group of 5 separate families. It helped them to have one person that was the point person for the whole group. That point person had a lot of experience with Disney, really enjoyed planning, and was very familiar with the likes/dislikes of everyone in the 20 person group. Like others suggested, this point person suggested two activities that the entire group would meet up for (meet Mickey, dinner reservation, haunted mansion FP) and then the rest of the day was up to individual families. Each separate small family had to make their own detailed plans. It went really well for them!

 

[_19disnA]

What worked best for my extended family (not Disney, but a family reunion in the North Carolina mountains) was a master schedule with one or two "main events" per day (a restaurant meal or a show or a tour). Everything was optional, no pressure, but pretty much everyone made it to at least most of the main events. Beyond that, my cousin and her husband, who did the hosting, had plenty of advice on what to see and do, and people got together in smaller groups however they wanted. Very low-stress way to keep from feeling like you're herding cats.

I agree. The adults should discuss their overall plans BEFORE the vacation starts. Splitting up makes a LOT of sense or else you just end up doing what the person making the plans wants to do. Everyone likely has their idea of how to enjoy Disney. It would be a huge mistake to not have any discussions ahead of time, all show up at the entrance to the park and then realize they want to do different things. Let each family make their own plans to be as specific or general as they want. No amount of advance planning will make the park less crowded. Everyone should pay for their own hotels/tickets/meals/etc. to avoid making things overly complicated. This also avoids having one person become the 'travel agent' for the planning of everyone else's vacation.

Some may want to plan every minute of the day while others just want to relax being on vacation. There is no one right/wrong way to do Disney. Scheduled 'main events' still allows the group to get together at various times but not being stuck with someone else's idea of how to enjoy their vacation. Everyone may also have different budgets to work with and typically people don't want to discuss their financial situation with those outside their family, so everyone may not choose to stay at the same hotel (assume the OP's 8 adult example would be 3-4 different families).

 

[tinkerjo]

I was the planner for our last big multigenerational trip of 18. 8 adults and 10 kids!!! We stayed at 2 different resorts for my parents 50th anniversary and it was the week of Christmas/new year’s. This was a nightmare for me. Planning was difficult but I was able to make all reservations (this was well before COVID) and I scheduled all the fast passes from a list they all gave me for their rides. One thing we all did was stay in the same park but split up most the day. We have a few must do rides together as a family for sentimental reasons but other than that we might pass each other and ride a ride with a few from our group a few times a day. We always joined up for supper. Works really well. There are just too many touring styles to make everyone happy!!

 

[JeffTW]

This exactly - I was the planner for our 9-person multi-generational trip in 2017, but my dad was the person paying for everything. I tried to get my stepmom and him involved since it was their dream vacation and their money, but they left me in charge of a lot of it since I was the "expert." I think I missed the mark a bit on the resort I picked and since they are taking us again in 2022 I am basically forcing them to get more involved. If they push back and tell me to decide, I encourage them to look at the options and provide me with more feedback.

I have no problem spending my own money on a vacation, but trying to best spend someone else's was very stressful.

Even if everyone is paying for themselves, I would still have a rule that if you don't have any interest in planning, then you don't get to complain. And for those that do have interest in planning, work out in advance if how the final decision will be made (by a vote, by whoever is footing the bill, by one person, etc.).

Fortunately, I am the one paying for everything, but I still want everyone to have the best experience and hope to be able to make the right connections to have a successful trip.

 

[larsonb74]

Eliminate 6 and have a great time.