I usually give a brief primer for newbies (brief to me!). No one new has any idea of the actual miles between parks.
@davej, I’m suggesting that the cousins might really enjoy making pool memories in the middle of the day. Or, more better maybe, leaving parks about supper time, and finishing the day with a cousins dip in the pool. Calm things down for a good night sleep, before another park in the morning.
It is, after all, Disney World.
eta: our big September trip actually went very drama free. Most wanted merely to be told where to be when. I can only figure it’s a measure of regard for the birthday person.
I agree. When we went to WDW last fall, DW and I took the kids to the pool after dinner a couple times. They loved it. I think it makes sense to do that for the extended family trip too.
Help them understand the size of it all - the parks, the hotels, how far apart everything is. Show them the Google maps satellite images of WDW. Show them the maps that have walking distances marked on them. Encourage them to start walking as exercise, including the kids if they’re not planning strollers for them.
Gee, what I just wrote might actually scare them! Sorry about that.
Ha! I think they understand the size since when last went in the early 90s, most of it was there except AK and some resorts. What they don’t understand is how much more complicated and important the planning has become over the past 30 years.
I don’t think the walking will be an issue. I will be renting strollers for my kids and will recommend they all do the same.
I have some experience planning for large family trips – we’ve done 2 so far – a party of 18, and a party of 30. We had another one planned for this past October of I think 34, but it got cancelled because of COVID. My normal traveling party is anywhere from 7-10 with grandparents and/or friends. We pretty much stick together like glue. That trip with 30 saw me counting to 30 at least 1,000 times each day, making sure everyone was accounted for. You’ve gotten a lot of really great advice so far. My recommendation is to remember that this is also your family’s vacation. I made the mistake of worrying whether everyone else was having a good time, I didn’t pay as close attention to the needs of my own kids and husband. Another thing I recommend is to try and stay one step ahead of what’s happening so that you’re not all standing around with everyone looking at you asking “what’s next?” Oh, and if anyone is going to have a stress breakdown it’ll be on day 3. Plan accordingly.
DD5 (to be 6 on our trip) is an up and coming Liner and will be helping with the TPs. She knows which attractions are in each park and enjoys planning with me.
It depended on the restaurant. I called into the dining line for help with it. Even though the reservation maker online can go up to 49, it’s obviously not true. Without knowing the setup at each place it’s hard to know how big the tables can be. The CM on the dining line can see the tables so they’ll know that the restaurant only has maximum of a four top, for example. At some restaurants, like 50’s Prime Time, we needed to set up multiple reservations (I think they were all in my name) at the same time and link them together so the party would be near each other. At the buffets it was no problem at all because they are designed for large parties. With 13 people you should not have any trouble at all sitting together at most places. Where are you thinking of eating?
I like to make one of these for each day of our trip, just so everyone has the basic information. When we are multiple families, I’ll print enough for each hotel room to have them on their own fridge. You can see that this one is old…it has FPP and EMM on it. But still…knowing what park they are going to, the kinds of characters they might see, park hours, meal plans is helpful to get everyone on the same page. I print them about 16x20 at Costco.
On our last group trip I did a selfie scavenger hunt for each day, which is probably not feasible with little kids, but one of the things I liked about it was the opportunity it gave us to re-cap the day during dinner. One of the things on the list was “selfie with something that sparks a good memory for you.” It could be something from a past trip, or something from today, but it was awesome to talk about them at dinner. Maybe your posters could have a question that can be answered with a photo, or a single scavenger hunt item to take a pic of… a hidden mickey, or a mickey balloon, or a spaceship… I dunno.
If I were planning a big trip like yours again, I would make sure to lower MY expectations. I would probably have another trip planned in the future for just me and my husband, which would make me chill about getting to do anything I wanted to do on the family trip, knowing that I’d get another shot at it. And I would slow down the TP’s a lot. A group that big, with multiple families is like trying to herd cats.
I haven’t ever done a really large trip, but I have done trips with family and friends where someone else was planning and where I was planning. My brother planned my first trips with my kids to DLR and WDW in 2010 and 2012 respectively. He introduced me to the UOG and inadvertently to TP. I’ve since planned trips with friends and I find it so fulfilling to make a memorable trip for them focusing on the things they most want to do.
I just took a friend of mine to WDW in October. We only did two parks days - MK and AK. She had such a great time (prior to this I really don’t think she understood my interest obsession with Disney) that she is taking her adult kids there January 9-15. My big fear is that she underestimates the planning that went into our October trip. I asked her if she wanted me to give them a plan of attack for each day and she said no, she would have her kids do some googling. Oh well, it’s out of my hands. I’m sure they will have a good time even if it doesn’t flow as seamlessly as it could have.
We do! We have a second trip planned for only DW, DD, DS and me. Yes, that will make it easier to be more relaxed about what we do during the big family trip.
You shouldn’t have any trouble with La Hacienda or Chef Mickeys. California Grill will probably be fine as well, but not as easy to get as the other two. The dining room for CRT is smallish, I think that one will be the most difficult. I would book tables of 4 or 6 at CRT, as soon as the booking window opens, then call in to see if they can modify to bring more of you together.
If there are still restrictions like that (and others) in the fall, I think we will reschedule for 2022. This will be a once in a lifetime trip for some of the group so I think they will want a near normal WDW experience.
The trip is 5 nights so 5 of each meal. This is not a big breakfast crew so breakfast will be granola bars and fruit in the room most days (maybe getting something quick from Contemp Cafe a couple days). Lunches and the other two dinners will likely be QS in the parks. DW says her parents/siblings will not want to do a bunch of sit down meals.
I honestly don’t know the answer. I know other places/states that had crazy restrictions (no more than 6 at a table, even same family), but have no idea what WDW will accommodate now. I’m hoping at least up to 8 for a few meals while we overlap with my sister and her family…
You’ve gotten a lot of really great advice so far. My recommendation is to remember that this is also your family’s vacation. I made the mistake of worrying whether everyone else was having a good time, I didn’t pay as close attention to the needs of my own kids and husband. Another thing I recommend is to try and stay one step ahead of what’s happening so that you’re not all standing around with everyone looking at you asking “what’s next?” Oh, and if anyone is going to have a stress breakdown it’ll be on day 3. Plan accordingly. 
Oh well, it’s out of my hands. I’m sure they will have a good time even if it doesn’t flow as seamlessly as it could have. 