More Survival Tips for a Walt Disney World Trip with Extended Family

In early July, I wrote an article detailing my plan for surviving a trip to Walt Disney World with my extended family. With lots of planning and thinking and setting expectations, I had high hopes we could make it work. So now we're back and I'm set to write my follow up, answering the question "will it work?" with a tentative "yes".

My husband, son and I are Disney World veterans. My brother and his family have been there once. My dad and his wife were not fans, but love their family and were willing to have that vacation together. We planned meals and events and set our expectations. And then we vacationed. I had set up a few ways that I believed would ensure our success and I am ready to evaluate now.

Do not share a room. I stand by this decision wholeheartedly. And my family went one step beyond this and atayed at different resorts. How did that work? Great! My husband, son and I stayed at the Beach Club Villas, within walking distance of Epcot. We were able to use our room as a resting point on several occasions, and it was a great place for my brother and his family to be able to drop off their coats and bags when the rain was over and the heat was back. We all had a place to meet for dinner one night when we split up and took in different attractions at Epcot. My brother and his family stayed at the Polynesian, where we all congregated one night to watch Wishes fireworks from the beach. And my dad and his wife had their newlywed privacy at the Villas at Wilderness Lodge where they were able to enjoy the serenity and atmosphere without being interrupted during any of their own private "magical moments." If we planned another trip, we would definitely stick with not sharing rooms or resorts. It worked out great!

Make Advanced Reservations. For any time of the year, this is a good idea. But for July it was a must. Most of our reservations worked well, with only a few being cancelled and one being postponed an hour when my dad and his wife discovered the inconsistency of Disney transportation times. For the most part, everyone enjoyed the restaurants we patronized with only a few exceptions and at the end of the day it was nice to meet up and share a meal together, talking about the different activities we had all done.

Determine expectations. The toughest one. You can set expectations for situations you can anticipate, but new things crop up all the time. We had determined ahead of time that we would not spend every day together and that worked well. But we were able to roll with the punches too. One day before our dad arrived, my brother and his family planned to go to Typhoon Lagoon. My family planned to go to the Magic Kingdom. We decided to have breakfast at their resort and called to see if they wanted to join us. They did and after a great meal, decided to push the water park off a few hours and join us for a fun morning at the Magic Kingdom. We had a fantastic time and met up with them again as planned hours later for dinner. The best advice I can give from experience for expectations is to communicate clearly. If you are unclear about anything, ask! People interpret each other differently and while you may think something is carved in stone, they may not. Ask and ask again to make sure you are always on the same page and you will avoid most misunderstandings.

Communication Plans. We planned to rely on texting for our communication, and while this did work for us, it was not the main means of communication. To my surprise, although I had pooh poohed cell phones as "great in theory", they turned out to work brilliantly for us. We really relied on calling more than texting and it worked like a charm. That said, texting was a great backup, but here is where clear communication comes into play. It is hard to read someone in a text, so if you have any question you should call and talk in person. Texting is great, but there is no substitution for verbal conversation.

Plan a few together events. This worked well and not so well for us. On the female side, we spent a fantastic morning and afternoon doing a few rides at the Magic Kingdom, watching my niece turn into a princess at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at the castle, and then indulging in an afternoon high tea at the Grand Floridian resort. The male contingent, however, encountered long lines and crowded conditions at Downtown Disney's Disney Quest and in all my planning I had neglected to realize that our son was not tall enough for most attractions there. Because of this, my husband and son had to sit a few things out. My advice? Make sure when you plan the together events, that everyone can participate.

Relax, have fun, and remember that we'll be back. This was key for us. There are many "must do's" that we missed and it was okay. We had a great time showing my dad and his wife "our" Disney World. And it was magical being able to see my niece, nephew and son spin together on the tea cups. We had lots of "us" time and lots of "together" time as well. And although our next trip will look a lot different, this past one was fantastic.

So in summary? An extended family vacation is indeed different than a solo family trip. Parents have different parenting styles, people have different patience tolerances, and everyone has different expectations for themselves. Be realistic and know that not everyone will be happy at all times. But prepare yourselves for surprises! My dad and his wife enjoyed themselves more than I dreamed they would, to the extent that they would love to go back again together around the holiday season. My brother's family tried Mission: Space together despite being concerned about the spinning nausea factor. And no matter what happened or didn't happen to meet expectations, standing on the edge of the water at Epcot, watching "Illuminations: Reflections of Earth" surrounded by my entire family will remain one of the best memories of my entire life.