when a large group can't agree...help!!!

[TinkerBe11]

My extended family is planning a vacation this May and since we are such a large group (20...divided into 5 families) there are many different opinions as to where we should stay. The main issue is the cost. I am a huge fan of the BWI and when I travel to WDW with my immediate family that is our hotel of choice. I understand that not everyone in my group can afford staying at the BWI so we are throwing out other options that can be more "doable" for everyone. A popular choice seems to be the Dolphin. I have never stayed there so any feedback would be great. I have no problem staying there, my fear is that I am going into this with the "but it's not disney" attitude and I don't want that to clog my judgement. I like that it is on deluxe property but we wouldn't be paying the deluxe price. I am open to all opinions and suggestions

The other idea that is being thrown around is that the group can split if we can't all agree. Some of us can stay at the BWI and some can stay at the Dolphin. Has this happened to anyone where the party breaks up? Does it work or does it seem like you aren't even on vacation with the rest of the group? The plus to this split is that we are on the same property, so are we really that far?? How much of a difference will it make?

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

I would never, never stay at the same resort as 19 other people in my party. Split up. BWI to the Dolphin is a 4 minute walk.

 

[bookwormde]

If you are in the same resort area that should be OK, even in the same resort you can be quite are ways apart, and unless you get a DVC villa there is no private "common" area to be in anyway. If you are getting multiple rooms at BWI you sheould look at a 2br villa BWV which would be less $ and you would have a full kitchen and a place to gather which is closer to Swan Dolphin. If your family wants to save money having a kitchen and eating some meals there can save lots of $$$$$

bookwormde

 

[Stitch2244314]

The BW and the Dolphin are not far from each other, so I think if you do end up splitting up, those two resorts would not be bad choices. Most of the time, the BW and S/D even share buses. You will have to consider how other members of your group feel about separating though-- then again, with 20 people, you will probably get a variety of opinions! But I would say that if you do decide to split up, staying in the BW, BC/YC, S&D area would be a good idea. Good luck deciding, and have a great trip!

 

[KellyNY]

Split. I cannot imagine managing such a big group. Different tastes, different attitude, different schedules. Split into different resorts and also split in parks. Maybe do it by interests. All teens go into one group and do wild rides. All little ones into another group and do characters. Do not expect to get tables for such a group, so split into different ADRs, hopefully at the same time. Meet with a group during the day but do not spend all the time together.

 

[Nadjalu]

Unfortunately you are not going to satisfy ALL of the people of your party. The best thing to do is say "stay where you want, pay for what you want and we will meet here at this time, to all be together".

Everyone gets the vacation they want, they spend time together, have alone time....everyone wins.
When you force some to do what another wants, it always brings problems.

Look at it this way: You will all be at WDW at the same time, set up times and places to congregate and that is it. Everyone goes, does their own thing in between.

 

[let'sgo]

I think that your biggest mistake would be to try and get everyone together every day for all day. You might have some that want to make rope drop, others that would rather sleep in.

DH and I would be at the parks first thing. When we were ready to take a rest out of the hot sun, the others were just getting started.

We would get together for dinner every night and then discuss what we did during the day, then we would do things together at night. We weren't together 24/7--that would have been too much. This kept everyone happy as we were all doing what we wanted to during the day.

Have a great time!

 

[Kim1964]

I definitely think everyone should choose the resort that they like and can afford. You can still have plenty of time together, and having some time apart will probably make the together time more enjoyable.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I would split up. BWI and Dolphin are within 5 minutes of each other so that would work. You'll end up splitting up alot in the parks anyway - or at least you should so you don't get on each others nerves.

The only issue I can see is if you all want to hang out at a pool with each other. You most likely won't be able to do that.

 

[ccgirl]

I, too, think you should split up. I travelled with 14 and was miserable. You just can't please everyone. So, please your immediate family and fit in visits with others. Pool breaks, dinners, some of the favorite rides etc. If you are taking ME, don't forget you can't get that at the Dolphin. Having said that, that is the hotel we want to stay at next. We stayed at the BWV last time and just love the area but not the price tag.

 

[pepe of ohio]

Unfortunately you are not going to satisfy ALL of the people of your party. The best thing to do is say "stay where you want, pay for what you want and we will meet here at this time, to all be together".

Everyone gets the vacation they want, they spend time together, have alone time....everyone wins.
When you force some to do what another wants, it always brings problems.

Look at it this way: You will all be at WDW at the same time, set up times and places to congregate and that is it. Everyone goes, does their own thing in between.

We just returned and just had 3 separate groups and making decisions was tough...best is to let everyone make their choice on everything...it's their vacation too and too much structure causes conflicts...best opinion is no opinion at all. Stay where you're happy and let everyone make their own choice and meet up, alot better in the long run.

 

[cruising spud]

We did a "some of the family" stay two years ago and had a way better time than I ever imagined.

And, we split up where we stayed-which is maybe why it was so great. My sister and her family stayed at the Polynesian, My two oldest daughters and one of their husband's stayed at a cabin at Fort Wilderness, and my husband, my youngest daughter, and I stayed at Fort Wilderness in our rv.

Since I know Disney the best, I was the planner. And, everyone agreed to listen to my plans. So, we met in the morning to do the parks commando style in order to get into/onto our favorites. Then, back to our homebase for relaxing and lunch, and then we met again for dinner and more Disney-this time in a relaxing manner.

We would do it again in a flash. One of the best Disney vacations we ever had.

Now, none of us had little kids, and none of us were very elderly. Ages could have changed plans, too.

 

[Pooh&OurHunny]

I would split with the group. Have families stay where they want and were they can afford and met up and dine a few times together.

 

[cm8]

I would split with the group. Have families stay where they want and were they can afford and met up and dine a few times together.

Agreed! and let who ever wants to switch up switch up ( kid wise) if it causes no other issues

 

[Deb & Bill]

Unfortunately you are not going to satisfy ALL of the people of your party. The best thing to do is say "stay where you want, pay for what you want and we will meet here at this time, to all be together".

Everyone gets the vacation they want, they spend time together, have alone time....everyone wins.
When you force some to do what another wants, it always brings problems.

Look at it this way: You will all be at WDW at the same time, set up times and places to congregate and that is it. Everyone goes, does their own thing in between.

Good points. You may value your privacy from time to time.

BUT, if you are at different resorts, you will not be able to swim with the others if they are at a different resort than you. That would be pool hopping and it's not permitted.

 

[pezaddict231]

I would say split up. Let everyone choose their own hotel. With a group trip, it's important to have some space sometimes. We had a bunch of people fly in for our wedding and we were spread among 4 different resorts - GF, CR, CSR and Pop. We just told people where we would be when and our ADR's and if they wanted to come great. We would meet up for rope drop and with cell phones it's really easy to meet up. You're never going to make everyone happy all the time, so it's definitely important to be flexible.

 

[TinkerBe11]

Thanks for the input! I guess it does make sense to split up. I don't want anyone to have a bad time or be unhappy on their vacation.

We are also having an issue of some people wanting the dining plan and some people not wanting it. I have relatives who opt for eating off Disney property especially for dinner and I have others who want all their meals to be eaten at Disney. I guess this is another time we will have to split up. I just don't want this to be a habit and then we never see each other the whole week because we all can't agree.

More about dining...How will this work when we plan our ADR's? Can Disney accomodate such a large group at the same time/table?

For those that have traveled in large groups....please give me advice on how to plan accordingly. I am the point person for the trip since I know the most about Disney. I just want to make sure everyone has a great time

 

[mythreeboys]

I can't be any help on the Swan and Dolphin b/c I've never stayed. I did however, just plan a trip for 20 people (we leave next Saturday!!!) We were originally staying at POP! so that everyones budget was taken care of. Then we came across a deal with DH's aunts timeshare (she is coming too). So we went with that we ended up getting 2-2BR units and 2-Studio units (that we rented from a DVC member) at BCV for about $4K total. In the end it cost a little more than POP, but only about $300, and when you spread it out over that many people it isn't much at all. Have you looked into renting points from BWV and maybe getting 2BR units and splitting the cost?

At one point we did have one of our 2BR's at SSR b/c that was available, but I was able to switch it when BCV came available. It wasn't a big deal to us to be in different places. At point my sister and her family and my mom were going to stay back at POP! or one of the All Stars before I got them points at a good price.

Another thing I have learned through this experience, No one will ever agree! There is always at least one person complaining. I made the majority of my group do a compromise. Most have never been there, so they pretty much left the planning up to me! I have done everything for this trip from buying the tickets, making the resort reservations, making ADR's, making our touring plan (we are going on our separate ways for the most part in the parks), deciding when we are leaving, what cars we are taking, and who is going in which vehicle.

The largest ADR I have is for 16 at Cape May for breakfast. It was difficult, but I didn't start trying to book until the end of November (due to some dragging their feet on if they were getting the dining plan or not).

If you have any other questions about planning for a large group, let me know. I am by no means a "Disney expert", but I can try!

 

[girls]

I agree to split up. Our last big vacation we stayed at BLT while the rest of our party stayed at WL. Everyone was happy - we knew where each other would be so we could meet up if we wanted to (we didn't always. We are rope drop / back to the room for the afternoon people, whereas the rest of my family is not.) Family vacations can be fun if everyone has their own space!

 

[bigbabyblues]

I would never, never stay at the same resort as 19 other people in my party. Split up. BWI to the Dolphin is a 4 minute walk.

Absolutely this.

I also would not plan on spending all day every day together (not that you said you were). I would make plans for my family, tell everyone what your plans are, and they can join you or go off on their own. Definitely meet up for some meals, etc., but I wouldn't push for more than that. Touring with such a large group would be difficult at best, given different ages, interests, etc.

As far as the ADRs, you can book those through Group Dining (I don't have the #, but I don't think it would be hard to find). They will do the best they can to seat your group together, although it may be separate tables sometimes. I would tell the group you need to know who wants to eat where and make the large group ADRs yourself. If people don't want to do certain meals or whatever, I'd give them the # for Disney dining if they need it and have them make their own plans.