Would you do Disney with another family?

[Simba22]

DBF always wants to "share the magic" and invite others come along on our trips but after doing that twice and having a less than magical experience, I've decided that I don't ever want to go back to WDW with anyone else. Too many conflicts of interest....

 

[helenm29]

We went with my Brother & sister in law and their two kids a few years ago and it was O.K....not something I'd probably do again. They had never been before and we'd been there 5 times already so they wanted to see and do different things. We tried to work with them but they just don't see D/W like we do! they kind of think it's too big and crowded! NEVER I SAY! We did go in June and it was quite warm...they didn't like that at all but somehow I managed to get through without croaking. Unless you go with someone that has been Disneyfied it's just not as much fun! Helen

 

[momof2disprincesses]

I can completely relate to this thread. Our first trip in 2002 as a family, we were alone. That is the LAST time we've been alone as a family in WDW!!

People just seem to latch onto us. I know many disers can relate to this as your friends find out how much you know about the fun things to do at Disney, the great tips you have, etc. and they want to be part of it.

For many years, my best friend (single, no kids) lived in Ft. Lauderdale and she wound up joining us for every trip. Sometimes the whole thing, sometimes part of it. We even had 3 trips where she brought her current boyfriend along (we keep teasing her that we've now been to Disney with 3 different guys with her and she needs to settle on one ).

Well, now she has moved to CA and so we'll have to do DL sometime together.

So, we planned this trip (leaving in 11 days ) and thought it would be the first time we could go as just our family. Well, we told some other friends we were going and they decided to come too. That is fine though as we all get along really well and have kids the same age (our kids have never had other kids come along, so they are really excited about this).

Well, then I found out another family from my dd's school is going the same week we are and they want to get together while we're there. Then, just this morning another friend told me she is going the same week we are now and they too want to "hang out" with us too.

YIKES!! I love my friends, but our schedule is now so full of times to meet various people that we won't be able to be spontaneous! We are craving a Disney trip where it is just us and we can change our plans last second if we want to OR do what we want and not have to think about what others want to do.

We're going at Christmas for 11 days and so far we won't know anyone else there ... and I don't plan to tell anyone we're going until right before OR unless I have to for school or work reasons. We really want that trip to be just for us! Time will tell I guess.

I feel like I shouldn't complain. It is a blessing to have so friends and especially ones that actually want to be with you

Plus, there are good things about going with other people - for example, it is fun to share your Disney knowledge and have people be in awe of how much you know

 

[DougM1965]

I can understand those that say NO to this one--we have been on plenty of vacations with family. Some times they work...others they don't.

This trip to Disney we are travelling with another family that have boys the same age as our two oldest sons (9 and 11). They are best of friends. The beauty of this is that their boys don't even know they are going to Disney, and our boys don't know their friends are going.

We are on the same flight down, so we can't wait to see their expressions when they see each other. Both families are staying at the Villas in Wilderness Lodge, so there will be plenty of room. And all of the adults understand that we don't have to be together the whole time.

I think we will have a blast!!!

 

[Brian Noble]

We're trying it for the first time this year. We think it will work out well, but talk to me in March to be sure.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

We are going next month with some friends. We have never traveled with them before, but we get together fairly often. We have been to Six Flags together and didn't have any issues at all. They don't have kids, and our DS is almost 10 so he can do "big" rides and doesn't need the maintenance that a younger child would (diapers, naps, whatever). We are all staying at AKL and all of our ADRs are together, but I think that will be fine.

DH, DS & I have been to Disney twice since January '05 so we have a good idea of what we like. Our friends have been 2 or 3 times in the past few years, so they have a pretty good idea of things as well. One of them loves thrill rides, the other gets motion sick. With 5 of us there will almost always be some riding and some sitting out. DH doesn't care for some of the rides DS & I like, so now he will have someone to wait with! I have a bad back and I don't like to get wet, so there will be some rides that I skip while the rest of them ride. One of the reasons our friends wanted to come with us is because they feel like they miss a lot when they go just because they don't have the time to research like I do. I think they will get to see a lot more this time than they have in the past.

Excuse me while I take this back.

We just came home on Saturday. Traveling with another family is MUCH harder than I thought it would be. Our friends DID see and do a lot more on this trip than they ever have before, but they were very reluctant to ever split up. The times we accidentally got separated they called us on our cell phones so we could meet back up. DH made me change my ring tone when we got home because he was so sick of it. They wanted to shop, which drives DH mad. They wanted to eat lunch 2 hours after breakfast, which drove me mad. DS has the most miniscule appetite of any child I have ever seen. Asking him to eat lunch at 11 AM when we were SEATED at 8 AM for breakfast (meaning we were still swallowing food at 8:30) would have been cruel. Our one friend had some sort of issue to complain about every day. As soon as we would get one thing resolved he would find something else to fuss about. Then DH would complain about listening to our friend complain about everything.

If we ever go with other people again I will make all of the ADRs for MY FAMILY only, and I will go to the park I want to go to, on the day and time I want to go there, and we will ride and do what we want to. If the other people we know happen to want to go the same places and do the same stuff, fine. I don't mind being there at the same time as people we know, but we won't be going "with" other people again. I won't plan another trip where every ADR is together, every special activity is together, and I walk everybody through use of all dining credits. Realistically, I don't want to spend my vacation counseling other people on whether or not to use a CS credit for breakfast or lunch. It just doesn't make that much difference! Use the credits, then pay cash when you run out. Not rocket science, not brain surgery, not worthy of in depth analysis.

Nope. No more group travel for us.

 

[Mom to a Princess]

I would never travel to WDW with my family. I have done this in the past and did not have a good time at all.

This being said a good friend of mine is going the same week that dd and I are (we planned it this way.) BUT we are staying at different resorts so we will be apart in the evenings. We are both very into Disney and are comfortable saying that we need to do our onw thing. We each already have things planned that do not involve everyone.

I think that things wil go really well - my friend may be the one writing in that she'll never travel with anyone but her family after the trip!

So to the OP: It all depends on the people who are going. I will never again go to Disney with my family but I am very much looking forward to going with my friend!

 

[mickey4ever]

we lLOVE going to WDW with friends, NOT other family members.

 

[Simba22]

To elaborate on my short response earlier:

2002 was our first trip...just me, my sister, brother, and our mom. We weren't very prepared and didn't know much about WDW. Trip was overall OK.
2004 we went back with my step-dad and my boyfriend. Mom and step-dad wanted this to be a fun family vacation, boyfriend and I wanted something similar but also wanted the time to do stuff on our own (this was my boyfriends first time in WDW). My sister and brother wanted to hang out at the hotel pool all day. That made mom & step-dad mad, which in turn caused yelling and fighting and finally caused people to be forced into doing things they didn't want to do. The whole trip was miserable for me and my boyfriend because everyone was always fighting/arguing/bickering.
2005: Boyfriend and I (same boyfriend! LoL) go back alone. THE BEST TIME EVER!!!
2006: my brother and boyfriends brother were super jealous of the awesome time boyfriend and I had in 2005, so we opt to take them along. boyfriends brother is extremely ignorant (another DISer helped me sum him up with the term "ghetto-fabulous" which is perfect)...fought with me and my boyfriend, which caused me and boyfriend to fight each other...my brother was just miserable because of all the fighting and ignorance.
December 2006: Boyfriend feels bad that his brother was a jerk, so is taking me back for 8 days in December...we will be celebrating my 24th birthday there...ALONE!

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

We are going in Dec. and we found out that some people from our church are going to be there the same time, same resort as well. Well, DH and I were like "Ok but we are not intentionally booking our whole week with them, they are friends and all but this is the vacation of a life time and the first time for our kids, their's too." So I let DH and her DH talk one night at church and they are in complete agreement, we will meet up with each other at MVMCP on the 7th and hang out that night, but that is it. If we run into each other then so be it, but we are not planning any special time together other than the party.

 

[NC State]

We're trying it for the first time this year. We think it will work out well, but talk to me in March to be sure.

Me too, my trip will be the end of October (think postive, think postive, think postive)..

 

[Disney4Drew]

I would feel the same way! I am so anxious for our trip and spending alone time with DH and DS. It's our first trip as a family, so I want to cherish every magical moment. I could see doing a Disney cruise with another family, but I think I would be stressed doing the parks with them. JMO!

 

[pigletforever]

We are going in October with DS GF family. We are in the same hotel but the only thing we are doing together that is planned is dinner on the first and last night. Other than that everyone is on their own and if we happen to be going the same way great - if not that is fine as well. We are taking the 4 kids 17,17,9,4 to MNSSHP so that the other parents can have a date night and then the next night we get a date night while they chaperone the kids.

 

[thunderbird1]

I could see doing a Disney cruise with another family, but I think I would be stressed doing the parks with them. JMO!

So funny that you would say this. My dad has been talking about taking the whole family (my brother, SIL and their 2 kids, along with me, dh and our 2) on a vacation when he sells his house. He knows how much we love Disney (have been at least once a year since our kids were babies), and kept suggesting WDW or DL as the destination. Well, he hasn't been to a Disney park in 25 years, my brother and SIL went once, before they had kids, they stayed off property and just did 1 day, 1 park passes for MK and MGM because Epcot and AK "don't have any good rides," and they don't plan on going back until their kids are old enough to go on all the "good rides."

The more I thought about it, the more I realized it wouldn't be much of a vacation for me if I have to play "tour-guide Barbie" to a bunch of people who A) don't have a clue what they're doing, and B) have their own, very different agendas, even if they are family. So guess what I suggested to my dad? You know it--a family cruise instead of a family Disney trip. Prepaid dinners together (that I don't have to make ADR's for), much smaller venue (easier for everyone split up/meet up), and tons of activities for all ages and interests.

Of course, this discussion is all moot, since I don't believe my dad will ever actually sell his house, much less fund a big family get-together. But it's fun to dream.

 

[phisigprincess]

I think it really depends on the other family.

We used to ALWAYS go with my mom's brother and SIL and their kids. It was great because our cousins and my sister and I were right around the same age and our parents had a ball together. I definately think it made it so much more magical for us. Though, we had the same type of touring styles and the same interests. If we wanted to do something alone, it wasn't a big deal and we didn't feel like we needed to be with them 24/7.

I would do it, as long as it's a family I could see myself spending time with in the World. We have had a few offers that I definately wouldn't take just based on personalities. It's fun to do as a group with the right type of group.

 

[bethann1970]

When we originally planned our 12/04 trip, it was my family and my mother (who was paying for the room and flight). Then suddenly she calls to tell me to add my sister and her 3 year old son (who is not the best behaved child in the world). Anyway, she had to have her own room while I had to share my room with DH, DD and DD. Her son slept in our Mom's room! Her boyfriend joined us later and they proceeded to leave her son with either my Mom or me! It was horrendous! And all she did was complain about the plans we had made. And if she wasn't where she was suppposed to be to meet us, it was MY fault. Anyway, we're going again this year and I'm paying for the rooms and I made it perfectly clear to my mother that it was just for US, and not to invite anyone else.

I guess it all depends on how well the families mesh..do you like the same things? And how much time do you plan on being together? I can only say from being the planner, and having a sister who is used to getting things her way, don't do it if you can avoid it. Or make it clear that they are planning their own vacation, they will just be there at the same time!

 

[Lesley]

In general, I think the smaller your group the easier it is to get around and enjoy WDW. We did attend a MVMCP in a group of 10 once (met up with some family) and we had fun, but I wouldn't want to do it all the time. I even find my own family group of 5 to be difficult at times.

I think if all the parties involved know that everyone is free to go their own way whenever they like, and not feel any obligation to stick together other than for planned meals etc... it works out best.

We will be in WDW at the same time as some friends in January and I think we'll likely just plan a time to meet and do something together during that time. As my parents will be with us on this trip as well, we are a party of 7 ourselves. I know our trips with my parents work out really well because we are all on the same page about splitting up, etc.... We already have planned when dh and I will have a date night, what meals we'll do together, when my parents will take a day to themselves, and when we'll play it by ear.

Togetherness can be fun...but forced togetherness 24/7 is not. Feeling obligated to stay together is not fun. Set the ground rules up front and go from there. But if you'd really rather travel alone, don't plan a group trip.

 

[lynn46356]

Our family has taken three trips with other families. We've done the whole extended family of 20 to Gatlinberg/Pig. Forge and it was terrible. It's impossible to stay together, eat together, etc. We wasted more time. I still call it our vacation from ****! Two other times we went to amusement parks with families. Once it was great. Another time it was just okay. You spend $$$ on vacations and lots if your going to WDW. I don't think you are selfish at all. Go by yourselves and make only your family happy. That is hard enough sometimes. Have fun!

Lynn

 

[debbi801]

We did it once and it worked out well enough that I'd do it again. We did it with a couple that we're friends with. Their DD and ours are best friends and their older son and my oldest are the same age and friendly. We did a few things...

We staggered the trips so that we were not there the whole time together.

We stayed in the same hotel, so that we could meet by the pool for down time or at the restaurant for a quick bite even if we didn't see them the rest of the day.

We intentionally did not plan to spend every minute with them. We would meet each day, but it might be only for a meal or down time at the pool or arcade. We did not change our park schedule for them and did not expect them to change their schedule for us. It we both planned the same park for the same day, great. But both families managed to have plenty of "just us" time.

One thing that really worked out well was the Princess Breakfast in EPCOT. The older boys and DH's had no interest in going. So, the wives and DDs did the breakfast one morning while the "men" went off to do their own thing for a few hours. We continued to do EPCOT and met up with them for lunch.

Another fun surprise was that my mom and 2 siblings decided at the last minute to come down and their trip overlapped ours and our friends by one day. So, our last night in the parks all of us met for dinner (11 of us) and had the most fun. It was a great treat for my kids to see relatives on the last night and a great way for them to start their vacation.

 

[brerrabbit]

We have done it twice with friends a long time ago. The first time was in 1993 and the second was in 1997. The first trip was pretty difficult. My DW and the DW from the other couple were best friends and had grown up together. Her husband and I have known each other since high school and get along great so we said what the heck. It was a last minute trip before we knew anything about WDW. We drove and stayed off site getting the hotel the week before we left. We had no tickets and bought them when we got there. We had been once before in 1989 so we had at least a little understanding of how everything worked. We never knew how different our families were till this trip. We like to get up and get to the parks to avoid crowds. They liked to sleep till they woke up, go find a breakfast buffet and eat till they were about to throw up. Their idea was if you were full you didn't have to eat any of Disney's over priced food. During the day they would buy one drink and split it amoung the four of them. We would buy a drink for each of the four of us and their two kids would then drink our kids drink. They would not want to eat lunch and my DW has a metabolism that needs a little food three times a day. We would stay till park close and get back to the hotel at 1:00 in the morning. They would then want to eat and go swimming. We were dead tired and went to bed. This went on all week and by the end I needed a serious vacation to recover from my vacation. Never did that one again.

In 97 we went with friends and it was a January booking for a spring break vacation. We could only get the Beach Club and it was wonderful. They liked the same things we did, went at the same pace, enjoyed TS resturants and the idea of being on property. It was wonderful. Funny thing was that we had known the first couple forever and thought we knew them well. The second couple we had only met a couple years before and we had wound up having more in common with them vacation wise than we did with our older friends.

Just goes to show that you never know what to expect.