Large family trip - help & tips please!

[NewfieFan]

Well, the trip is getting closer (less than 12 weeks) and I'm starting to do a more detailed itineary for our trip. We've got all our ADRs in place and most days we know what parks we're going to be in. But I'd like to get some ideas, tips, help, etc. from all you folk who have traveled with your parents or other family members. Our party consists of my family (me, hubby, and 2 kids aged 5 and 2 1/2), my parents (early 60s - good health), and my brother (late 20s). So what things would you recommend we do together? How much time should we spend all together? When's a good time to split up?
We do have 3 TS meals planned where we're eating all together (Cystal Palace, Chef Mickey's, & Liberty Tree Tavern). My brother is eating a couple meals with just me & my family and a couple meals with just my parents. And my parents have a couple meals alone. Also, my brother will be going to the water parks but the rest of us won't. So there is time already "built into" the itineary where we'll have to split up and go our seperate ways! We're going to be there for 10 days by the way. It's going to be a very exciting family vacation and this is my first time doing this with my parents and my brother! (FYI, it's been over 15 years since my parents and brother have been to the "world" and this is their first time staying on site!)

So any advice you can pass my way is greatly appreciated! Thanks!:wave:

 

[travelgip]

Best advise I ever got, and am passing it on to you.....Don't overplan!!!!! There are alot of things to do together, alone or with any combination of people you like. But remember, it is time consuming and tireing doing everything in the parks...be flexible....some things you may want to do might be closed/refurbishing/overcrowded.....plan in nap time or pool time at the hotel mid-day for kids and yourself, you'll need it.

 

[lac628]

I agree with the above post. We go yearly as a Grand Gathering. This past Jan. we had 7-8 adults (the 8th adult joined us that last few days) and 8 or 9 kids. Anyway, we never plan those little details. It will only stress you out more. Just plan your ADR's and what parks on what days, and leave the rest to fate. Just do what you feel is good at the time. Esp. with young ones, they may be tired when you planned on meeting up with the family to go to the pool. Then it will mess things up.
Don't stress, just enjoy yourselves!

 

[mro415]

You will enjoy Chef Mickey's. Liberty Tree Tavern is family style so I hope you will enjoy that.

Just go with the flow. Make sure you see the things that are new and that you really want to do. Dont rush yourself because you will need a vacation from that vacation.

where are you staying!?

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

So what things would you recommend we do together? How much time should we spend all together? When's a good time to split up?

Sit down together and sort this BEFORE you go. Some may want a detailed itinerary or a spur of the moment thing. Decide these things now and plan accordingly

 

[cndrellagrl]

Going with a large group to the world is so much fun! Last year we had about fifteen and a few years before that, there was about 30 of us and it was fun! The best advice I can give you is this, during the days we usually all went to the same parks but at different times since some like to sleep in later than others. We all did our thing and then met up for dinner or whatever ADR we had that day. Some days we stayed together to go on every ride, and other days we met up for a ride here and there. When we all stayed together though, it took us ten times as long to get from one ride to the next - waiting for thirty people to drag themselves to each ride can be frustrating. So I would not plan too much and give yourselves extra time if you are going to be doing things all together. Have a great time!

 

[NewfieFan]

Thanks so far! We're staying at AS Music (forgot to mention that)! I plan on going back to the resort almost everyday for a rest/nap with my young ones but I'm not sure what my parents or brother have planned in that regard!
While I don't like to plan everything (and I certainly understand plans can and will change with children in tow) I would like to have some sort of itinerary in place. My father is a super planner and I know they'll have a better trip if they know they have some sort of plan in place (even if it changes when we get there). I'd like to encourage my parents to venture off by themselves more too. They really have their hearts set on spending lots of time with the grandkids but they need sometimes to themselves as well!
I think we'd like to spend most of the first day together just b/c we'll all be excited and happy to see each other. Currently my plan for the first full day is starting at the MK (with the opening ceremonies) and then it's lunch at CP!

What sorts of attractions should we do as a group? Should we spend our mornings together and then break up in the afternoon? Maybe meet up again in the evening? I'll welcome all and any suggestions!

 

[yankspy]

There are usually six of us when we go. The best advice I can give is to not try too hard to keep everyone together. This often causes problems because a lot of people wish to do their own thing. As far as nice group activities, renting boats is always fun. We usually rent sea raycers from the WL and then go have lunch at WC. Playing mini-golf is another good idea for a group. Some pricier options could be a fireworks cruise or the keys to the kingdom tour. Have fun.:wave:

Edit: just saw your other post. Try and do attractions together that have the on-ride photos. It might be a nice souvenir for the family. Also, attractions that have a group dynamic where you are all sitting together like Kali or Kiliminjaro. TTA is a good one too because you are all pretty close to one another.

 

[cndrellagrl]

Thanks so far! We're staying at AS Music (forgot to mention that)! I plan on going back to the resort almost everyday for a rest/nap with my young ones but I'm not sure what my parents or brother have planned in that regard!
While I don't like to plan everything (and I certainly understand plans can and will change with children in tow) I would like to have some sort of itinerary in place. My father is a super planner and I know they'll have a better trip if they know they have some sort of plan in place (even if it changes when we get there). I'd like to encourage my parents to venture off by themselves more too. They really have their hearts set on spending lots of time with the grandkids but they need sometimes to themselves as well!
I think we'd like to spend most of the first day together just b/c we'll all be excited and happy to see each other. Currently my plan for the first full day is starting at the MK (with the opening ceremonies) and then it's lunch at CP!

What sorts of attractions should we do as a group? Should we spend our mornings together and then break up in the afternoon? Maybe meet up again in the evening? I'll welcome all and any suggestions!

I would definitely suggest doing all the parades and firework shows together - Wishes, Fantasmic, etc. Also, I think it would be a good idea to spend the day together at Magic Kingdom, so that the grandparents can see the kids on those rides, which will be very magical. On the days you go to Epcot, this is where I would suggest a split up - the grandparents may want to walk around and explore the countries more than the kids might. I think it is a great idea to start and end your days together if you are all on a similar sleep schedule. Afternoons can be used for napping, laying by the pool, etc. Hope this helps a bit!

Also - I always give a copy of our itinerary to every person stating where we intend to be each day, what time that fireworks/parades are at and most importantly - where our ADRS are!

 

[coltow]

Our plans are like this. Our plan is start every day together for a few attractions, we are all early risers so plan to be at parks when they open. My family plans to take a break around lunch time for a swim and nap. Other can decide for themselves if they want a break or stay at the park. We then have dinners planned for everyone each night so we can regroup and decide from there if we want to stay together.

We don't feel like we over planned. We just pick parks, not attraction order, that we'll decide on when we get there.

Our 1st few days look like this.
Day 1
AK for EMH
break
DHS
Hollywood & Vine dinner (fantasmic)

Day 2
MK all day with break in middle
LTT for dinner
stay for parade

Day 3
DHS am if we missed anything on day 1
EPCOT - if we don't go to DHS we will start this day a little later and skip afternoon break
Le Cellier dinner
Illuminations are on your own if you want to stay

 

[Brwneyedgirl72]

Just remember to enjoy every minute you have with your family. As long as you remember that flexibility is key and plans don't always work ou the way you want them to - you will have a great time!

 

[disneymyway]

Our mistake was trying to tour the parks together. That didn't work at all. Some people were too speedy and some too pokey. I felt like I was in the middle trying to keep everyone together and it was exhausting.


We had great meals together, and the most fun and famous in our family was at Prime Time Dine-In. We got a "cousin" that was into it and we laughed until we cried - literally.

If you want, ready my blog entry about it at : http://web.mac.com/wendyd3520/Disne...Fine_Until_The_Maid_Stole_His_Toothbrush.html

We had a great time!

 

[mouselvrmom]

For the last four years we have brought grandparents with us. Not always the same ones, but we have always had someone else with us. That made us a party of 8. We tried to be clear with them that this was their trip to and if they wanted to go off and do something or not do something that we were doing they were free and there would be no hurt feelings.

Generally speaking, I made adrs for dinner for all of us together. I made sure everyone knew the times and places ahead of time and where they were. That way if we split up they knew where they could meet back up with us.

When my parents went, my mother was pretty sick. So they would usually get a later start and call us when they were ready. We didnt' get to spend as much time in the world with them, but they were happy to sit by the pool or spend time at the resort with the kids.

When my inlaws went, we usually would spend one day together at each of the parks with them. They didn't like to repeat things we had already done, so then they would usually go off on their own and spend time in the parks doing what they wanted to do. Then, we would meet up for dinner. Sometimes they would stay with us then, and sometimes they would go off on their own. We found that it worked out the best for us like that.

I hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

[mouselvrmom]

Our mistake was trying to tour the parks together. That didn't work at all. Some people were too speedy and some too pokey. I felt like I was in the middle trying to keep everyone together and it was exhausting. http://

Yes, I felt that way too. My hubby is a fast walker and he didn't want to wait for his pokey parents. He would be angry if I wasn't walking up with him, but then I felt bad for his parents like they might feel left out. So I usually hung out somewhere in the middle. It's lonely in the middle. :lol:

 

[Yankeeplex]

We are a party of 10 and the first thing we do is agree to disagree. My mother in-law is a slow mover in the morning, so we go ahead to the park when it opens and meet my in-laws there. When it comes to food, we just make as judicious decisions as possible, as it is almost impossible for 10 people to agree on food, let alone which park to go to.

 

[NewfieFan]

Thanks for your tips, suggestions, and personal experiences! I think I'm going to encourage starting the day together and breaking sometime around lunch (or even before) and then meet up again in the evening. I'd like to do some rides and attractions that include all of us when we're all together.

 

[mickey7879]

Before I always go I sit down with everyone and see what is on their top things they they want to do (restaurants, Character to see, rides, shows, parks, etc) and then have them make a list of what else they could do if there was time.

Then gather up everyones list and see what's in common and at least make time to fit in what is important to everyone and what else you could fit in without over scheduling.

Even if you put everything down on your schedule just remember it's just a guide to go by, so don't get upset if everything doesn't go as planned.

Remember to have fun, take lots of breaks and remember you are on vacation! :wave:

 

[mickey7879]

Before I always go I sit down with everyone and see what is on their top things they they want to do (restaurants, Character to see, rides, shows, parks, etc) and then have them make a list of what else they could do if there was time.

Then gather up everyones list and see what's in common and at least make time to fit in what is important to everyone and what else you could fit in without over scheduling.

Even if you put everything down on your schedule just remember it's just a guide to go by, so don't get upset if everything doesn't go as planned.

Remember to have fun, take lots of breaks and remember you are on vacation! :wave:

I forgot to add one thing......see if the grandparents could babysit the kids one night so you and your husband could have a romantic night just the two of you! That's a must for Disney!

 

[figmentmom]

You're going to be there for 10 days, so I would definitely NOT plan on spending every minute of every day together! :ROFLOL: If everyone gets up at about the same time, you can head to the parks together, spend the morning, have lunch, and then separate after that, with plans to meet up for dinner, parades or other evening activities. Remember that the party, when completely together, will be traveling at your two-year-old's pace :lol:, so plan accordingly! Asking your parents to babysit the kids one night for an evening alone with your husband is a good idea - and letting the grandparents have an evening or two by themselves is ALSO a good idea.

You may not want to spend each and every day at the parks. Will you be renting a car? If so, everyone might enjoy a day at the beach - Cocoa Beach is an hour east of Orlando, and beautiful! There are lots of things to do and see in the Orlando area, so have fun! :wave:

Remember that it's VACATION - and should be fun for everyone. Relax, try not to have too many expectations in advance, and take lots of pictures.

 

[WickedQueen22]

I am in the midst of planning a Grand Gathering myself.

I stick to KISS: Keep It Simple Stupid :ROFLOL:

I make an ADR for a certain time and expect all to make it. Also we all go to the same park on the same day. Other than that wouldn't it be fun to run into someone you know??

I did make little wallet sized laminated cards that included the mini schedule. I put the park for each day with hours and meal time. The back of the card has cell numbers for members in our group. I had them laminated for less than $5 at Staples. I figure one meal a day as a group is not too much to ask. Afterall we are there to be together right?

If they can't make it all I ask is a quick text to update the ADR. ( I'm a PLANNER... makes others sick) :hurl: :hurl: