It’s been a little while since I planned for more than just a few… aside from the usual large group issues (it takes longer to do everything or get anywhere, someone always has to go to the bathroom, and many restaurants don’t have any seating for groups bigger than 8), is there anything new to take into consideration since covid?
My biggest thing is whether I’ll be able to do all of the LL/BG at once, or will it have to be batches.
We’re staying at SSR in 1 standard 2br villa on points, and one standard studio as a cash booking (though I’m keeping my eyes open for a dedicated studio rental to save them some money). My sister was really concerned with getting our rooms together, so I added our villa info as a nearby room request on the cash booking. I think that should get us at least in the same neighborhood, but really, the adults are all college-educated and have advanced degrees… if they’re in the next building over and can’t manage to get their poop in a group to find us or bus stop or wherever then I’m going to be doing some heavy drinking on this trip.
It’s the first ever trip for everyone except my sister, my niece, and me and it’s all girls. Youngest is 6, then an 8, 2 9s, and a 12. The 6 and 8 are into Princesses big time, the other girls are just there for a good time. I had to break the news to my sister that there’s no princess dining at this time, but that we can’t even book dining for another month so who knows what will happen by then.
It’s 10 people (5 kids, 5 adults). I think it will be a fun trip, I just don’t think it will be a relaxing trip. Like, I’ll be the one getting up at 7am every morning, and I’ll be the one making all the plans which means I’ll be the one who knows the plans and who adjusts the plans when random life happens.
I just kind of would like a trip where I’m not herding all the cats and kittens all the time. Like, a group of adults who are all responsible for themselves. I say “here’s what I’m doing today… go with me or I’ll see you at dinner and we’ll share stories!”
Come to think of it, that was our June trip. I’d hear the teens closing the door as they were off to rope drop. Thanks to them we got a BG for CW. Best ride ever.
We’d meet for supper. The teens usually arrived first and checked us in.
I wonder. Reckon the 12 yo can get the 7 am stuff for the group?
you have three and a half months to get them up to speed on what to do and how to do it.
If you are the one booking for everyone – I think the maximum you can make LL/BG is 12, so you should be able to get them all at once. The only time I think you may have trouble is during a drop if the inventory is not there.
I have done an 18 people group for my wedding (at Disneyland). It was nuts but so much fun!
Anyway, with that many people, interests and bookinds, my recommendation is to split! Saying stuff like: hey, we are doing this, what do you want to do, lets meet at this time there. We usually picked ADR or FPP as time to meet. Nobody wanted to miss dinner or the FPP for the most wanted attraction! We also made bathrooms breaks that were mandatory for everyone. If they wanted to go later, they were on their own.
I also had printed some Touring plans schedules to give them an example of what we were doing.
I’m planning a similar trip of 9 (4 adults, 5 kids - half newbies to Disney World) and would also like to “plan” an actual relaxing trip. As much as I love planning vacations in general and Disney trip specifically. The actual trip will be a grind with the 7am ILL/G+ nonsense and trying to make it magical for the niece/nephew (6, 9)…and my kids, but this will be their 3rd trip and they’ll be much more self sufficient at 11, 13, 16
We’ll be there the same time…1/16 - 1/25, park days the 17th - 24th. Yay. I love January trips though last year we hit the cold spell and it was as cold at WDW as it was in MA some of the time.
Reckon the 12 yo can get the 7 am stuff for the group?
