Taking other family members for there first trip

[Harley-Mouse]

My kids, wife, & myself have gone before I like to have all my days set up before we go this way me get the most done. Do you think first time family will think this is to much. Should they Stay with my plans so they also will see the most ?

 

[hockey mom]

Hi and welcome. I think first timers will be grateful to have someone else plan their days in a way to get the most out of their vacation. We are going with first timers in April and they are thrilled that I know what I am doing and planning everthing for them.

 

[Yzma and Kronk]

We just did this in October, for a 4 day trip.
I did all the planning, PS's and tours and the Newbie Family (NF) thought it was great, because they said they would have never been able to do all that we did, if they went in "blind".
We did MNSSHP, which they didn't know about prior. By making a plan we were able to maximise their time at all the parks. I gave them the Baubaums book prior to travel to read and asked them to email me with anything they especially wanted to see or parks they wanted to spend extra time in. In our case the NF wanted to spend extra time at DAK, so I planned an entire day there. Once there we split up at points so they could concentrate on the area's they liked (the animal trails) and my kids could spend more time at their favorite place - Dinoland!
I also did a "surprise" morning which consisted of a Family Magic Tour. We did this on our second day at MK (so they were exposed to MK first) I didn't tell anyone what we were doing and all I said we were to be at City Hall by 9:45am. The tour was brilliant, and as Newbie's they loved it!
They couldn't wait to get back to their friends who went for 7 days and compare notes to see who did the most and diverse things!
My advise: Discuss your plan with them, keep it general so as not to frighten them (we all know that we planners are a special breed) and allow time to split up for a few hours. Book your PS's but stress to them that they are not firm reservations and you just booked them in order to eat at special restaurants and at times that fit your party - but you can always cancel them if they want.....it's just in case
I'm sure they will appreciate your help.
Have Fun!

 

[2cutekids]

My husband and I took our kids last year the first week of December and had a wonderful time. This year we are going back and taking my parents with us. They keep telling me how excited they are that I have everything planned and they can just go, relax and have a good time. I ask their opinions on what they would like to do, but they keep telling me that they trust me and they will go along with whatever I have planned. I guess my tales of last year were so good, that my aunt is taking her family at the same time!

 

[BethC1952]

The newbies coming with me begged me to plan for them. I'm not a planner, I'm a "seat of the pants" kind of girl, but they want to see all the highlights and important stuff, so I planned a flexible, workable itinerary. We'll have a 3 year old in our group, so our pace will be a bit slower than an older group, but we'll still see all the "good stuff"!

Beth

 

[Terry S]

I am having a difficult time with this decision as well. Our family (myself, husband, Son-7 and Daughter-6) have been many times and we are at the point now where we have a plan of which park we are going to be in each day and the we have a PS for breakfast and that is about it. There are times we head to the park and take a look at a line of an attraction we were planning on going on and we just say "okay, this line is 30 minutes, does anyone really want to wait or should we just see it next time" and most of them time the kids just say "skip it, we will be back". We have a very relaxing vacation now with a stop during the day to swim at the resort pool.

Well, in May my entire family is going for my Mom and Step-Dad's 25th Anniversary. There will be 21 of us and the only people that have been is my parents and my family so of course I have been assigned the planner. I am just trying to decide if I want to make it relaxing or want to try and fit everything in. I want them to come back home from this vacation loving WDW as much as I do. If I try and fit everything in it is not going to be a very relaxing vacation because we will be constantly on the go to try and see everything because I know they won't be back. If I try to make it relaxing, I will have to pick just what I think is the best of the best and they will miss a lot but have a really relaxing time. So I just don't know what to do.

 

[KIRSTIN'S MOMMY]

Terry, I'm in EXACTLY the same boat as you are! I have about 25 coming with me for a family reunion. Myself, DH, DD, and my family have all been several times. My DH's family is from Nebraska and Iowa, and have never been. They keep telling me "We just don't think there's that much to do there to stay so long " I have the trip planned for 8 days in August, before the kids go back to school. They've also said "Why do we have to plan everything? We should just get there and then decide what we want to do"....IN AUGUST!!!! I'm almost to the point of letting them go fend for themselves! We're booking the rooms through "magical gatherings", and I have suggested a couple of the special mg events, but now they're screaming cost....if they only knew Hope you're having better luck than I am! I'm gonna need a vacation from my vacation!!!

 

[Terry S]

KIRSTIN'S MOMMY..... No it has not been much fun! I gave my family members a list of a bunch of character breakfasts and asked them which ones they would like to attend. They wanted to know why I need to know that before we go? Hello? Before Grand Gatherings was announced I had already booked an Illuminations Dessert Party and decided to pay for that on my own as a surprise for my Mom because everyone else is already complaining about how much money everything is costing. As far as most of the Grand Gathering events go, all of my immediate family members really want to do most of them, but the rest of the newbies have no interst in spending the extra money and I guess I really can't blame them, as far as newbies go there is so much to do that of course they have never done that is already included in the price that they pay for admission that they don't want to spend extra money. I think the Grand Gathering events will really be more beneficial for people who have already been there done that and are looking for something new and different.