Group/Family MK Touring Planning

[mickeysaver]

I have taken on the challenge of trying to hammer out a touring plan of MK for my honey and her family on the last day of our WDW vacation in late September. It will be a Friday. The players are me(34), Gabby(28), Pati(60), Becca(36), Mikey(14), Felicia(12), Launda(38), and Tom(45). It's a motley crew for sure. LOL Pati will be using and ECV or a wheelchair, whatever I can manage to rent that morning at MK. Becca may be using an ECV also, but we just have to see since she just had surgery yesterday. A lot can change in 7-1/2 weeks.

I have emailed them and asked them all for a top 5 must do list. I am hoping to use this information to create a touring plan for the park using Fast Pass to the fullest. To be honest, I will be creating 2 plans....one with Becca and her kids and one without. They tend to be somewhat unreliable. But, you have to plan for as much as you can, so.....

Can anyone give me any tips on keeping the herd together? I am feeling a bit tense about this and it's more than the usual out-law family tension too. HELP! Mickey

 

[TURKEY]

I think it's going to be difficult to keep all of you together all the time. I don't know how many people have been before, but I'd just give them some information and split up however you want to.

Just try to schedule some things such as shows that all of you want to do and meet up and do them as a family.

 

[mickeysaver]

They all have been before multiple times. They live near Daytona Beach. So, they have been there more than I have, but not as a group. I hate the thought of making timed meetings in the park. The whole idea is to let Gabby spend some time with the family. Since Gabby moved to the Atlanta area, she rarely gets to see them. Family is very important to her, but the distance makes it really hard.

The group likes to be laid back about touring the parks, but I just know that without some sort of plan, this could turn ugly. Mickey

 

[mightyduck]

PMFJI, but I would recommend scheduling one event apart--find one thing that you really want to do that they don't necessarily need to, send them off for something at the same time, and then meet back. I've done the whole "but we need to spend time together!" thing, and in my experience, it helps to plan a little time apart, too. While we all focus on how much fun WDW is, the bottom line is it is also stressful. I found that a brief respite from the whole group made the rest of the day easier and I was more Disney-spirited myself. Even the closest of families need time apart from time to time. And it may make them feel better too! I wouldn't worry too much about feeling like if you don't spend every second with the rest of the family that you are squandering time. (and I hate to say it, but some of the best memories are of the "secret" ice cream cones we ate without the extended family--a reminder that our family unit was separate and that the stress of being with everyone was temporary!).

 

[Dwarful]

We had a group of 8 on our last trip...but ours were five kids w/3 adults. We did seperate at various times with meet back times set up. But we did eat together at various sit down rest. You might scheduel some Priority Seating B'fasts for early in the morning if your group gets up and goes...I just loved being in the park before everyone else...taking some nice group photos w/only the castle in the background....also the sit down dinners were a nice and needed break. When you go will they have E-ride nights? If so take advantage of that and spend that time together as well....and Make time to hit Toon Town and do a group photo w/Mickey! Things like that for us were priceless.....either way...you might have to remind yourself to not become Clark Griswold...my husband swears I can be the female version! Relax and have a great time!