Tips on Planning a Vacation to Walt Disney World with a Large Group

My husband, our daughter, and I live a good ways away from the rest of his extended family. (Almost 4 hours.) The only time we see them is usually at Christmas if we are in our hometown during the holiday. They've been to Disney on their own in the past and so have we. Around the summer of 2006 we started thinking, "what if we go to Disney together" and the seed was planted. In January 2007 we took the plunge and 15 of us traveled to Walt Disney World at the same time. We had a great time and figured we would one day do it again. Well it's now summer of 2007 and the topic turns again to Disney, we said why not! We just returned from our last trip in January 2008. This time it was 14 of us. Two weeks before our trip, a friend called and said he and his family we're planning their first trip to Disney for part of the same week that we were going to be there. By being flexible we were able to spend time with them too. It's great when you're on vacation with people you know. (Talking and catching up always made the lines seem shorter.)

The decision has been made and plans are just beginning, you and your group have decided to visit Walt Disney World together. What now?

Decide who's going.

This may sound like a mute point but believe me it's not. Can cousin Tom really get off from work? Little Johnny has exams. Everyone's schedule differs. Plan exactly who's going first so that other plans can be made. In the past, I've added and subtracted people from our reservations. (This means hotel and dining.) Avoid future planning delays by knowing this important information.

Decide when to go.

This goes along with deciding who's going. We can work around Johnny's exams if we know he can go at a later time. Schools and work can be notified in advance. In fact, I let my daughter's school know almost four months in advance and sent many reminders to the teacher and principal. Some schools have an absolute zero day's vacation policy when it comes to missing school. Familiarize yourself with your child's' school policy and talk with their principal. Sometimes teachers and principals will give them the time off if they do an educational report on what they learned during their vacation. For employers, let them know as soon as possible of when your planned vacation time will be. This could be crucial in case they need to cover your shift.

Decide on who's making the arrangements.

I'm a major planner when it comes to our family vacation at Disney. I like knowing that we have reservations for our favorite restaurants and are signed up for recreational activities. Appoint more than one person to be the spokesman for the group. Make sure everyone is included in the planning, from the youngest to the oldest. Look over brochures, order the free Disney planning DVD, and spend time on the Internet familiarizing yourself with Walt Disney World. Make sure all the planners are frequently in touch.

Decide on where you're staying.

Do you all want to stay at the same resort? Does everyone have the same budget? If you're staying at the same resort, decide what kind of view you want to pay for. Rooms can be requested near each other, no guarantees that it will happen. Most of our requests have always been met. Another option is to rent a vacation home with your group. It could be cheaper than paying for several rooms at a Disney resort and it will maximize your time together.

Decide on how you're getting there.

Are you all driving? (Road Trip!) Flying? This is always our first and only choice. (We like to maximize our time at Disney and it would take us a day just to get there.) We fly out of Baltimore, Maryland while the rest of the family flies out of Raleigh, North Carolina. After we all fly into Orlando, Florida the rest of the family uses Disney's Magical Express to get to the resorts. We reserve a rental car for the three of us to have during the week. We're constantly on the run and it would take to long to wait on Disney transportation in some cases. Last year we did rent a 15-passenger van. That was a feat in itself just to rent it. Insurance companies (your own) in some cases do not cover 15 passenger vans. You may be forced to take the added insurance from the rental car company, which can add up really fast. Another task is finding an agency that offers these, not every one does because it is such a risk.

Decide on what you want to do as a group after you're there.

Disney offers several activities for large groups that are called "Grand Gatherings" for parties of eight or more. You can reserve a special fireworks cruise, plan an African safari, or arrange park tours. Your choices are endless You do not have to plan any of these "Grand Gathering" events just to spend time together though. You can make up your own itinerary and go exploring together. Do you want to eat any of your meals together as a group? If the answer is yes, then plan early. A group of 15 is a lot harder to seat than a group of six. Some restaurants do offer a table that will seat everyone while other restaurants will try and seat you at tables close to each other. Dinner times can vary. Group offerings are usual either really early or really late. Do you wish to do anything outside of Disney? We picked Universal Studios on our trip this year. Our group of three had breakfast reservations and decided to meet up with the rest of the group at the park.

Plan time for your immediate family and yourself.

We all long for some alone time. Maybe everyone in your group doesn't like to ride some of the same things; it is okay to separate for a while. What if you're into Asian food and their not? Make plans for your immediate family too. Remember it's everyone's vacation and who knows when you'll be back.

In Closing

Don't let the large number of people scare you. It can be just as easy planning a group vacation as it is for planning for two. The main thing is to remember to be flexible and know what you want out of your vacation before you go. Remember, every moment does not have to be spent together but cherish the moments that are.