Large and in Charge! 5 Tips for Traveling With Big Groups.
- Jan 15, 2018
- 5 min read
For the past several years our family has taken a trip at christmas instead of doing gifts. We have done San Antonio and Great Wolf Lodge with my parents, and we have done Colorado with my husbands' parents. We have never traveled all together and with extra family. We had gone to Disney in 2016 with my in-laws and had a great time, overwhelming for me, but everyone else loved it. So, I had this brilliant idea of taking as many of our family as could go to the Happiest Place on Earth! Some couldn't make it, but we ended up with 13 total. This included: our family of 6, my mother, my husband's parents, his sister, and his brother and his two kids. Because I love to be in control and plan our travels I was the planner for the trip. I reserved the rooms, I made itineraries, I made our Fast Pass choices, and dining reservations. I planned this monster of a trip for over a year, making travel folders of Disney tips for the first timers, showing them sample itineraries, and asking what their must-see's were so I could make sure to pack that all in. I will tell you, it was a challenge, but one I enjoyed! Below are some tips I learned for group travel at Disney.
1. Plan Early
I started planning our trip well over a year in advance. This gave us time to see who would be able to afford to go. (Let those Disney first timers know the reality of the cost of Disney too.) This also gave me time to figure out everyone's preferences for food, restaurants, and figure out who would room with who. If you plan early you are prepared to make those ever important dining reservations at 180 days! This also gives you time to save money. One great thing about Disney is you can book your entire package, well in advance, and you only have to pay a $200 deposit. You then have until 30 days from you trip to pay it off! This is really convenient for those of us that don't have thousands of dollars laying around. Another good thing to know is that Disney will honor any discounts that may become available after you book for your time of travel. Just call customer service at Disney (they are always excellent) and they will apply the discount to your package. BE AWARE: THERE ARE NO DISCOUNTS THE WEEK OF CHRISTMAS, NOT A SINGLE ONE!
2. Transportation
How are you going to get your group around when you can't all fit in a taxi or uber?? If you are going to Disney alone they have you covered. They offer the magical express to and from the airport, as well as busses that travel from the resorts to the park. However, we were starting our trip at Universal Studios, and they do not offer shuttles.. Orlando offers several shuttle companies, I used orlandoshuttleservice.com to compare prices on several different options.. did we want a van, a shared shuttle or a luxury hi-top van. We went with the hi-top van bc it had the capacity to fit 14 comfortably and hold a lot of luggage. The company we chose was Mercado Transportation. Ya'll I cannot say enough good things about this company and it's drivers. Our driver was waiting at the airport, sign in hand, helped us load our luggage, then drove us to a few extra places before taking us to our Universal Hotel. This was all on Christmas day, when I'm sure he wanted to just be home, however he accommodated our needs to look for a box fan, and get new hairspray because my sister in law had to trash hers at the airport. We also, used their service to travel from Universal to Disney, again they were punctual and so friendly. I cannot recommend them enough!
3. Avoiding Family Drama
Let's be real, you can't avoid it totally. But I think my husband and I did a pretty good job keeping it in check. When you mix grandparents, and lots of personalities there will be times when people clash. Know your people, talk to them ahead of the trip and say, I know so and so will do this, can you please just roll with it while we are there for the sake of everyone's sanity? Make sure you room like people together, if you have an early riser and someone who likes to sleep in, maybe not the best idea to pair them together...like we did...enough said... Be aware of situations where tensions could rise, and find a way to separate.. like, wow mom, come check out this cool something or other over here, away from everyone else! And most importantly, have a strong relationship with your spouse before embarking on larger or mixed family vacations. Most nights my husband and I would stand outside our hotel room and just vent, about everything, even each other. We are fortunate enough to have a relationship where we can do that, praise the Lord! Last but not least, cover your upcoming trip in prayer, God worked many things out previous to and during our trip.
4. Pictures and Bathroom Breaks
This may sound silly to you, but as a person who spent months on schedules to see them wrecked by picture taking and bathroom breaks, I'm here to tell you, it's gonna happen, have your mild panic attack then CHILL OUT! The first day of your vacation, you will be stopping at every place that looks like a good photo op, and regardless of what theme park you are at, that's literally every 10 feet.. no joke. If like most of our group, you have not seen these sights before, you or your party will want pictures, and lots of them. While this is a time suck, I can guarantee you will be so thankful for those captured memories when you get home! And I can also assure you that as the trip progresses, the amount of photos being taken lessens, whether it's because they have run out of space on their hard drives or because the novelty wears off I don't know. Now, we all have to pee, we just do, some of us more than others...and for some reason our group could not all go at the same time. Our bladders were not synced, maybe work on that before you go, just kidding...kinda.. Bathroom stops are something you are going to have to just roll with, so if you have a minute by minute touring plan like I did, factor that in there! Fun tip, encourage picture taking while others are in the bathroom, kill two birds with one stone!
5. Be Flexible
Why yes, that is me pouting after everyone decided they did not want to use our last table service credit on the Crystal Palace character buffet......that I was on the phone for an hour making reservations for.....180 days before our trip. In all honesty, none of us were hungry, and my husband didn't want to eat mini corn dogs again. Learn more about our Dining Plan experiences in another post. The point I am trying to make is, things are not going to go according to your plan all the time, learn to be flexible and just roll with it. Your vacation is about everyone, not just you. Also, not everyone is going to want to do the same thing. My brother in law hates It's a Small World, we had never ridden it, so of course we had to because it's a classic. Solution, let them go to another ride, and join up when your done. If your group was like ours, with several ages and a mix of teen boys and pre-teen girls, be willing to let everyone separate for a bit. It will be ok, memories will still be made! Some in your group may need a break mid-day, or to leave early, that's ok too. Do what is best for your family so that you can avoid meltdowns. It just boils down to not being afraid to stray from your detailed plan, I promise you will survive, I did.
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