Touring Strategies for 12?

[lovehoney]

Next May 27-June 1, 2007, we are having a family vacation of 12. 2 grandparents, 4 parents and 6 kids (ages 3-9). We are staying at OKW grand villa.

Does anyone have any suggestions for park touring strategies?

Split up, stay together, combination of both? This will be the 3rd trip in 18 months for me, Dh, DS5 and DS2. (All the other kids are girls) It is the first trip for everyone else.

 

[blessedby3]

We are a family group of 13. Gmom, 4 kids, 3 spouses, and 5 grandkids ages 8-18. I am almost dreading things because we always go with just our immediate family and maybe one or two more. I am a control freak about Disney and a BIG planner. For this trip I am only planning 3 sit down meals for everyone to get together and the rest of the time everyone is on their own. We are doing a big dinner the first night, a character breakfast at Ohanas the morning of MVMCP (we wont be using this as a park day- just the party), and a meal at Rainforest Cafe after our AK day. I have planned out our week (psrk days) as if we were just going on our own and have told family that they can hang with us, or do their own thing. Im not sure how things will go. The rest of the family has been before- twice, but are not planners. My BIL said the last time they went to AK they only rode 2 rides the whole day. They were there in the summer and he said the crowds were big, but GOOD GRIEF- 2 RIDES!!!! Hopefully things will go smoothly for us and this wont kill the family ties!!!!! Good luck to you too!

 

[Bev J]

When we did a big family trip, 13 of us it really worked best for us to split up and do our park thing and meet up for meals. All the familys had different touring ideas and we all got sidetracked and ended up seeing less and less if we tried to stay together all the time. Some days we started off together in the parks and ended up splitting up at some point. If we tried to stay together we just ended up getting cranky with each other.
We enjoyed each others company at dinner, swim breaks in the afternoon or in the evening we would meet up for the parades or fireworks then drinks back at the resort.

Bev

 

[lovehoney]

We are a family group of 13. Gmom, 4 kids, 3 spouses, and 5 grandkids ages 8-18. I am almost dreading things because we always go with just our immediate family and maybe one or two more. I am a control freak about Disney and a BIG planner. For this trip I am only planning 3 sit down meals for everyone to get together and the rest of the time everyone is on their own. We are doing a big dinner the first night, a character breakfast at Ohanas the morning of MVMCP (we wont be using this as a park day- just the party), and a meal at Rainforest Cafe after our AK day. I have planned out our week (psrk days) as if we were just going on our own and have told family that they can hang with us, or do their own thing. Im not sure how things will go. The rest of the family has been before- twice, but are not planners. My BIL said the last time they went to AK they only rode 2 rides the whole day. They were there in the summer and he said the crowds were big, but GOOD GRIEF- 2 RIDES!!!! Hopefully things will go smoothly for us and this wont kill the family ties!!!!! Good luck to you too!

Thanks so much for your input. I like your idea of 3 sitdowns. We have been kicking around the idea of the dining plan but can't decide. We wouldn't eat all 5 meals together but 3 together might be a good plan whether we get the DDP or not. 'Ohana's is an awesome breakfast!

We went to WDW last December and it was great. Low crowds and cool (not cold) weather. You will have a great time. I hate going in the summer but we planned as early as possible with everyones schedule (DMIL and DSIL are teachers and 5 of the kids are in school).

PS, I borrowed your signature style for the trip. It is great. Thanks!

 

[missminniemouse]

When we went with a large group several years ago, we pretty much split up most of the time. We went in different combinations of people each day, so everyone had the chance to be with everyone else. We had 24 people there, so only did one real dinner with everyone together. I arranged this with Whispering Canyon Cafe at Wilderness Lodge. We had the little private area toward the back of the restaurant just for our group, which was perfect.

I did my planning as usual and filled in everyone else as to our dining plans. Several of the other groups made reservations at the same restaurant as us at about the same time, but we generally weren't seated together, which was OK. As to which park we went to, my parents, grandmother, grandmother's friend, and one brother and his family plus my family pretty much all went to the same park each day...the one I picked. But, we didn't stay together in the park all day. We arranged a meeting time later in the day if we split up. The rest of our group did what they wanted to do (this included another brother and family, my cousin and her son, another cousin and his family, 2 sets of aunts and uncles.)

You've got it wonderful by staying on Disney property. When we went, my mother arranged the location to stay, which was off site. At least with staying on property, if someone wants to head back to the room for a while, they can. When staying off site, we pretty much had to stay together for transportation purposes.

Having my parents with us did work out well one evening. They watched our daughter so we could go to dinner by ourselves. We enjoyed a wonderful meal at Victoria & Albert's.

I hope all works out for you. Perhaps allowing everyone some flexibility will work out as well for you as it did for us.

 

[Sleeping Becca]

I recommend being separated for most of the time and meet up for meals or maybe meet up after lunch and tour in the afternoons together. I made ADR's, gave everyone in our party a list, and told them that during the day they could do whatever they wanted. My experience has not been good with this strategy though, because everyone (14) wanted to be together ALL OF THE TIME. With a group that large it took forever. You can forget everyone being ready on time in the mornings, someone always forgot something at the hotel,someone has to go to the bathroom, someone wants a snack, someone wants to shop, someone wants to rest, etc. It seemed like I spent most of my vacation waiting on someone. It was very stressful for me, because I felt it was my responsibilty to keep everyone happy, because I did all of the planning.

Next time they all want to tag along, I will tell them if they want to meet up with us they can do it after lunch. That way I can still do my comando-style touring in the mornings, and maybe keep my sanity.

 

[lovehoney]

When we did a big family trip, 13 of us it really worked best for us to split up and do our park thing and meet up for meals. All the familys had different touring ideas and we all got sidetracked and ended up seeing less and less if we tried to stay together all the time. Some days we started off together in the parks and ended up splitting up at some point. If we tried to stay together we just ended up getting cranky with each other.
We enjoyed each others company at dinner, swim breaks in the afternoon or in the evening we would meet up for the parades or fireworks then drinks back at the resort.

Bev

At dinner did you all meet at the same place, or did you cook? We do have a kitchen if we dedide to cook. Splitting up is probably great. I can see a few cranky people (DH ) if we stick together too much.

 

[lovehoney]

I recommend being separated for most of the time and meet up for meals or maybe meet up after lunch and tour in the afternoons together. I made ADR's, gave everyone in our party a list, and told them that during the day they could do whatever they wanted. My experience has not been good with this strategy though, because everyone (14) wanted to be together ALL OF THE TIME. With a group that large it took forever. You can forget everyone being ready on time in the mornings, someone always forgot something at the hotel,someone has to go to the bathroom, someone wants a snack, someone wants to shop, someone wants to rest, etc. It seemed like I spent most of my vacation waiting on someone. It was very stressful for me, because I felt it was my responsibilty to keep everyone happy, because I did all of the planning.

Next time they all want to tag along, I will tell them if they want to meet up with us they can do it after lunch. That way I can still do my comando-style touring in the mornings, and maybe keep my sanity.

I like the idea of meeting in the afternoon. My SIL and her family are late risers. I can't see them getting up at the crack of dawn to go touring. I also cringe at the idea of waiting for so many people. It would really cramp my touring style.

Do you have any other suggestions on reducing the stress? I already feel it is my responsiblity to keep everyone happy on this trip since I'm doing most of the planning.

 

[lovehoney]

When we went with a large group several years ago, we pretty much split up most of the time. We went in different combinations of people each day, so everyone had the chance to be with everyone else. We had 24 people there, so only did one real dinner with everyone together. I arranged this with Whispering Canyon Cafe at Wilderness Lodge. We had the little private area toward the back of the restaurant just for our group, which was perfect.

I did my planning as usual and filled in everyone else as to our dining plans. Several of the other groups made reservations at the same restaurant as us at about the same time, but we generally weren't seated together, which was OK. As to which park we went to, my parents, grandmother, grandmother's friend, and one brother and his family plus my family pretty much all went to the same park each day...the one I picked. But, we didn't stay together in the park all day. We arranged a meeting time later in the day if we split up. The rest of our group did what they wanted to do (this included another brother and family, my cousin and her son, another cousin and his family, 2 sets of aunts and uncles.)

You've got it wonderful by staying on Disney property. When we went, my mother arranged the location to stay, which was off site. At least with staying on property, if someone wants to head back to the room for a while, they can. When staying off site, we pretty much had to stay together for transportation purposes.

Having my parents with us did work out well one evening. They watched our daughter so we could go to dinner by ourselves. We enjoyed a wonderful meal at Victoria & Albert's.

I hope all works out for you. Perhaps allowing everyone some flexibility will work out as well for you as it did for us.

Wow alone time with DH. I never even thought of it. I hope DMIL or DSIL can give us one night.

 

[Sleeping Becca]

I like the idea of meeting in the afternoon. My SIL and her family are late risers. I can't see them getting up at the crack of dawn to go touring. I also cringe at the idea of waiting for so many people. It would really cramp my touring style.

Do you have any other suggestions on reducing the stress? I already feel it is my responsiblity to keep everyone happy on this trip since I'm doing most of the planning.

1. Don't take it personally. Everyone will not be happy all the time. If someone is miserable, it is not your fault. Not all people love Disney the way you do, some people just don't "get it". It has nothing to do with you and your planning abilities.

2. If one person in your party is making everyone miserable, deal with it immediately, or it will only get worse. Say something like " I'm very sorry you're not having a good time today Uncle Bob, I feel just awful about it. Maybe we can split up for a little bit and meet up later, that way you can find something that you will really enjoy like (insert suggestion)." It is better for one person to be miserable than your whole group.

3. Try not to be a know-it-all. I catch myself just blabbering on and on about my experiences, opinions, or little known facts etc. Even though I think I'm being riveting; this really tends to aggravate others. Let the newbies in your group have their own experiences and form their own opinions.

 

[lovehoney]

1. Don't take it personally. Everyone will not be happy all the time. If someone is miserable, it is not your fault. Not all people love Disney the way you do, some people just don't "get it". It has nothing to do with you and your planning abilities.

2. If one person in your party is making everyone miserable, deal with it immediately, or it will only get worse. Say something like " I'm very sorry you're not having a good time today Uncle Bob, I feel just awful about it. Maybe we can split up for a little bit and meet up later, that way you can find something that you will really enjoy like (insert suggestion)." It is better for one person to be miserable than your whole group.

3. Try not to be a know-it-all. I catch myself just blabbering on and on about my experiences, opinions, or little known facts etc. Even though I think I'm being riveting; this really tends to aggravate others. Let the newbies in your group have their own experiences and form their own opinions.

Thanks. I just copied and pasted your tips to my Word document for the trip. i better watch #3 .

 

[mmcguire]

I literally just got off the phone with my mom, making prelim plans for our trip next Aug and discussing the lessons we learned on our last trip. We had all dreamed of the perfect family vacation in which everyone joins together in peace and harmony and enjoys the beauty and wonder of WDW together.

That being said, my vote is strongly for splitting up (preferably in groups of similar age & interests), and meeting for lunch or dinner to talk about your day. You may have to insist on this firmly, depending on how stubborn your family is. Things got a little testy a few times on our trip because different age groups didn't want to keep the same pace, and some older folks had no interest in things the younger folks wanted to do, and vice versa.

We had even driven seperate cars, and said multiple times that we didn't all have to stay together. Nevertheless, we stayed together, each group grumbling over things they didn't want to do, griping that we were going too fast/slow, or complaining because one group was ready to leave when the other wanted to stay late for fireworks. Finally on the last day, I had enough and said, "we're going here....you go do your thing and we'll meet for dinner." It was the best day we had the whole trip!

 

[tweetypieblonde]

There were 7 of us on our last trip, my husband, my daughter, me, my husband's sister, her boyfriend and her 2 daughters (then 4 and 13) and we found that it worked for all of us to split up and meet for lunch, meet up later in the afternoon and at park closing, sometimes we also started off the park together in the mornings then split up after a couple of hours. My sister in law and her bf and eldest went off and did there thing, and my daughter, then 4, my husband and our 4 year old niece saw the park together, as the 2 girls are insepritable. This worked great for us, as we could go and do attractions and shows that interested the younger girls and my sister in law, bf and eldest could go and do the "thrill" rides that interested them.

Also, before I had my daughter, I went with 6 of my girlfriends and the whole thing was a disaster because we stuck together. Don't get me wrong, I love my friends, but everyone wanted to see and do different things at different paces and eat different places, so yeah, I'd say spitting up is the best policy.

 

[Sleeping Becca]

Thanks. I just copied and pasted your tips to my Word document for the trip. i better watch #3 .

With regards to #3.

One year I took some relatives and as we were touring the parks, I pointed out places and told them what used to be there (20,000 leagues, Dreamflight, Mr. Toad, Skyway, the little courtyards on Main Street, Penny Arcade, etc.). Finally someone in the group, just blurted out, "If you're gonna talk about something, can you please talk about something we can actually see?" Oops Sorry. After that I just shut up.

 

[erinch]

I once had the "pleasure" of chaperonng the youth group from hell --- 38 kids and 10 adults--on a two week trip from Michigan--doing service work in Florida, and then 4 days at WDW. Take plenty of scotch, is my advice, and vodka. And whiskey. Discourage skinny-dipping at 2 am. Oh, that's another story.

We also have been a couple of times with friends. We were better friends before the trip, and it took a while to get over it.

What I'd recommend is a "family" meeting, hopefully before you get there, and otherwise, before everyone scatters. The things I'd try to cover:

1) Expectations: if you're splitting up, does everyone realize you're splitting up. If a group from different sides of the family is together, and kids want snacks, who pays? Do they get reimbursed? What if you've all agreed to meet somewhere and someone is late; how long will the others wait, etc.
The more you can talk this stuff through ahead of time, when people are calm, the better it goes.

2) Communication: : How will you communicate? Cellphones? Are they local for WDW. Pocket laminated card with cellphone numbers?

3) Rules:Are any kids are allowed to go anywhere by themselves? (yours are a bit young). Do the "non-parents" need to check with parents before heading to pool/food court, etc. Do kids carry their own keys/tickets, or do they go to an adult. Bedtimes?

4) Fall back plans: If someone gets separated or lost, how will you meet up? Central place in the theme park, or back at the hotel?

5) Spending money: will different sets of kids have different amounts to spend? How do avoid some kids buying stuff when other kids in party can't.

6) "Truth Spell" Policy: on our best multi-family trip we had a truth spell rule. Every family was allowed to say if they didn't feel like doing something, or were getting tired, etc. This was allied with the "no martyr" rule. If you went along on something, and didn't actually want to go, or wanted to do something different, you had every right to speak up prior. And you had a right to bow out along the way. What you didn't have the right to do was to take emotional hostages in the middle of an activity.

 

[lovehoney]

I once had the "pleasure" of chaperonng the youth group from hell --- 38 kids and 10 adults--on a two week trip from Michigan--doing service work in Florida, and then 4 days at WDW. Take plenty of scotch, is my advice, and vodka. And whiskey. Discourage skinny-dipping at 2 am. Oh, that's another story.

We also have been a couple of times with friends. We were better friends before the trip, and it took a while to get over it.

What I'd recommend is a "family" meeting, hopefully before you get there, and otherwise, before everyone scatters. The things I'd try to cover:

1) Expectations: if you're splitting up, does everyone realize you're splitting up. If a group from different sides of the family is together, and kids want snacks, who pays? Do they get reimbursed? What if you've all agreed to meet somewhere and someone is late; how long will the others wait, etc.
The more you can talk this stuff through ahead of time, when people are calm, the better it goes.

2) Communication: : How will you communicate? Cellphones? Are they local for WDW. Pocket laminated card with cellphone numbers?

3) Rules:Are any kids are allowed to go anywhere by themselves? (yours are a bit young). Do the "non-parents" need to check with parents before heading to pool/food court, etc. Do kids carry their own keys/tickets, or do they go to an adult. Bedtimes?

4) Fall back plans: If someone gets separated or lost, how will you meet up? Central place in the theme park, or back at the hotel?

5) Spending money: will different sets of kids have different amounts to spend? How do avoid some kids buying stuff when other kids in party can't.

6) "Truth Spell" Policy: on our best multi-family trip we had a truth spell rule. Every family was allowed to say if they didn't feel like doing something, or were getting tired, etc. This was allied with the "no martyr" rule. If you went along on something, and didn't actually want to go, or wanted to do something different, you had every right to speak up prior. And you had a right to bow out along the way. What you didn't have the right to do was to take emotional hostages in the middle of an activity.

loving the 'no martyr' rule!

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Our family usually goes in a group of nine, one year we went as a group of eleven. This last year we went with the other side of the family - and that was also a group of nine. All our trips have gone quite well. We have the group thing mostly down to a science! Even with the other side of the family!

I sort of have to disagree with the splitting up a lot thing. I suppose that works well for some families, but it frustrates the h***l out of ours. Here's why: one group gets to AK, gets fastpasses for EE, then goes on the safari ride. Group two finally gets up to join group one, and they want to go on the safari ride too. So now group one is going on the safari ride a second time, or else ditching group two - after they've just run across the park to meet group one. Then the time for the fast passes comes up. Group one goes on, then everyone has to stand around waiting while the two groups regoup. It bcomes a hassle of waiting around for everyone to re-group! And everyone gets resentful.

Our trips are much better if have a basic, but central plan that everyone goes along with. You know over the course of the trip you're going to hit all the rides, or nearly all of them (maybe skipping a few of the sleepers). AS long as everyone knows their eventually get to ride their favorites, peace is maintained.

If you can keep everyone together on the first full day of the trip, then you'll set the tone for the rest of the trip. Plan a reasonably timed breakfast ADR for the first morning - like 9:30 maybe. Not too early, esp. if some are arriving late the night before, and not too late so the early risers don't feel like they are wasting lots of time. Make the ADR for somewhere like Crystal Palace. That gets everone together in the MK fairly early. PERFECT! Just before you pay the bill, send a runner (the fastest teenager) to FP one of the mountains - Splash or BTMRR. Then everyone heads to their first ride together. Start with a ride everyone can go on, like Pirates. Maybe hit a couple other things in Adventureland, like Aladdin or the Tiki House while you wait for the FP time. Then go to your FP, and as soon as you can, send your designated runner to get more FP's somewhere.

Otherwise we only make one ADR per day. Afternoons are a good time to either take a break, or split up and let the young ones hit the rollercoasters one more time, while everyone else naps and showers for dinner. This is why our group prefers dinner ADR's most days to lunch, because it gets everyone together again at a good time.
It also helps to plan well ahead of the trip. Let people share their thoughts, but don't overwhelm them. REally the choices are daunting tothe unititiated especially, so it helps to have one person do most of the planning. At the same time, it is wise for the planner to let the group have input, "How does Chef Mickey's sound for Christmas dinner?"

GIVE EVERYONE IN THE GOUP a copy of the itinerary, as soon as it is set. That way, if anyone has objections, they will voice them early, and adjustments can be made. If everyone knows well ahead of the trip what the game plan is, then they are less likely to feel resentful at being told what to do. It also helps if the planner can send out pretty pictures, and talk up the dining choices, so that everyone is eager to try the places out. I have even made a kind of Disney countdown advent style calendar -but it takes a while. You can find quite a few images for free in the internet, but it also helps if your family has a healthy stack of digital Disney trip photos.

WE have started to do tiny split ups, but only when they work well. Like while the teenagers go on Space Mountain, the babies and old folks can go on the peoplemover, then meet up afterwards for Buzz. Luckily in our group, everyone mostly enjoys gon on nearly all of the rides, even if they are geared towards the little ones. When you go witha group,everyone has to understand that it's not just about what you as a person wants to do at that moment, but about spending time together as a family. It's about watching the two year old's face LIGHT UP on It's a Small World, making that kid feel that her choice of rides is just as important as everyone else's choices, even if the song secretly drives everyone else crazy. If you can keep that in mind, the goup can have a great time.


One small thing that did cause a little friction withthe in-laws, was that they are heavy drinkers. BIL had to have FIVE drinks before heading into the MK one evening - the park with no drinking. Ahhhh, some of us ahd to suck it up a little.

Our group also tends to get slightly testy one the last full day, Everyone has "one more thing" they want to hit before they leave, so we kind of play that one delicately, and do our best to accomodate everyone's wishes. It's nice to plan a quiet breakfast on the last morning. Not so much an ADR breakfast, as maybe just a quiet breakfast at the CS place at your resort.

Another trick we employ is using a central way to store park tickets and Fastpasses. We use one lanyard with a plastic sleeve. The runner carries it and is responsible for keeping everything together - although we often switch off runners. As soon as everyone is thorugh the park gate, they give their ticket to the person withthe lanyard. It makes getting fastpasses so much easier. It also helps if everyone has their name on their ticket. It is also very important to gave a plan, in cas eone of the kids gets lost. They should know what to do. It helps too if your group has a number of cell phones among you. Whenever you split up - make sure each split up group has at least one cell phone.

 

[mla2177]

I strongly recommend splitting up!!!! I went w/ nine family members in July, and the first three days we saw nothing, the fourth to the six day we split up and saw more in two days then we did in three by far!!!!!!

In our case though, it was the busiest time of the year (first week of July), and we had a 3 yr old, 2 yr old, and 8 mo old to coordinate around so it made it very difficult too.

Good luck!!!!!!!!

 

[Sleeping Becca]

Micklv'r I'm sure your plan works well for your family, but does not work with mine. We also like to tour during the busy season, and my family likes to be at the parks before opening, some of the others do not do well waking up early. We would NEVER do a morning ADR (cuts into precious touring time). Some in our group love eating a big breakfast.

So splitting up until lunch is better for us.

 

[mmcguire]

1) Expectations: if you're splitting up, does everyone realize you're splitting up. If a group from different sides of the family is together, and kids want snacks, who pays? Do they get reimbursed? What if you've all agreed to meet somewhere and someone is late; how long will the others wait, etc.
The more you can talk this stuff through ahead of time, when people are calm, the better it goes.

2) Communication: : How will you communicate? Cellphones? Are they local for WDW. Pocket laminated card with cellphone numbers?

4) Fall back plans: If someone gets separated or lost, how will you meet up? Central place in the theme park, or back at the hotel?

I can't agree more with these suggestions. "Meet us in front of the Dinosaur ride" is not specific enough -- pick an exact spot, something not easily confused or misinterpreted. Cell phones or walkie talkies are also invaluable in these situations. In our case, Party A (aka "the runners") split off to get Fast Passes while Party B (aka "the slowpokes") walked ahead to the rendevous point (aka "Dinosaur ride"). On arrival, Party B discovered that there was NO LINE, and thought there was time for a quick spin before Party A arrived. Chaos ensues.

I'd also add a "go on without me" clause to the back up plans for things that cannot be rescheduled. Say it's 11:30 AM and your party has a noon reservation at Prime Time Cafe. En route, Dad (whose concept of time passage is not unlike football clock time) thinks there's plenty of time to get the youngest child's photo made with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Jo Jo, and Goliath, and Mickey and Pluto again in different outfits (I wish I was making this up) while the rest of the party learns that a table is open RIGHT NOW. How long do the others wait before giving up on dad and eating lunch so they don't hold up the other guests waiting for tables?

Alas, brains also take vacation, so plan wisely!