Thanks for the helpful tips! I sent out an email today to gather everyones preferences and "must do's"We are going in a few months and there will be 21 of us! So, I definitely understand your concerns and questions in getting everything organized for a smooth trip.
We had to call the Disney Dining phone number to book our ADR's and for all of them we had to book two separate reservations to accomodate the group. For example, one reservation for 10 at 6:20 and another one for 11 at 6:30. It seemed very difficult to get us to sit all together, but you may have an easier experience with this as we did not book exactly 180 days prior.
We have not yet made our Fast Pass selections but it looks like we are able to click on the people who would like to be included.
We have had a few "meetings" which were very helpful as well as various emails asking if people wanted to be included in ADR's or other activities. However, I do think it is critical that one or two people take the reigns and make decisions for others IF that's acceptable with your group. Of course, if your group has strong opinions or have must do's, then including them more will be important. My sister in law and I are the only ones who have been to WDW before and we made the decision to schedule which parks to visit on which days, and will ultimately pick the Fast Passes.
Another tip is to make a table or spread sheet that can be sent via email or Google Drive and that includes the day by day schedule of events, hotel info, rental car info, etc. When we have one of our meetings, everyone gets an updated copy. I am hoping that with this document people have an idea of what is to be expected instead of me feeling like the perpetual travel agent who is constantly being asked, "what are we doing?", "where are we going?" , "what time do we eat?".
Our group will also go on a cruise after WDW where another 13 people will be joining us!!!
I totally agree that over-planning can ruin a vacation real fast! Thanks for your advice!I'm planning a trip for a group of 12 for just after Thanksgiving. It's too early for us to book dining but this is what I've done thus far.
1. Have everyone book their own accommodations. I told them where my family is booked and few are staying where we are (AKL - Kidani Village) and others are staying at various places in Disney World. It's just easier that way with everyone's budget.
2. I'm planning on sending out a monthly email of what's to come. Our first big thing is dining. Each family is going to pick a place they want to try or a place they like (for those that have been), and the rest of the ADR's will be filled my me.
3. After our ADR's are booked, I'll start compiling our daily itinerary. My family arrives a few days before the others so I'll be settled in when they arrive.
4. FP's will be done on their own terms. My main goal was to spend a meal together each day, and then whatever folks want to do during the day is up to them. I think one evening we'll do an adult meal and have my younger sister babysit the kiddos.
Everything else is up in the air. I don't want to plan every minute but I want some sort of an idea of what's to come so folks can plan their days.
Again, I've never planned a Disney trip for this many people so this may all be a complete fail but this isn't my first rodeo so I have high hopes!
and asked everyone to communicate through me so we can stay on the same page. I will then create a spreadsheet for everyone with travel arrangements, reservation #'s, etc, for those not as familiar with MDE.
Is it possible to have all 21 people on MDE? We have 9 kids on this trip and I have been wrestling with the idea of trying to make FP+ for everyone vs each family doing their own. How did it work for you?
I've told my traveling party, they are responsible for their FP's! If folks want to change them around while we're there is fine. But, its feels too much like micro managing to plan FP's for those outside of my immediate family.
You may want to visit the "Welcome to DIS" board! It can be confusing and I'm still trying to figure everything out! You must have 10 posts before you can add a profile pic or signature. The thread is here http://www.disboards.com/threads/avatar-and-signature-issues-read-here-first.3396992/
THANK YOU! This is so very helpful and I'm glad I'm not the only one who plans for large groups! I have a very large immediate family so I'm used to planning for 10-14 but I'm now up to 21 with this trip and it's getting a little intimidating, even for me! I will keep you in mind if I have more questions and thanks for your willingness to be of help!
Just wondering if you have all 21 on MDE and if that includes children in different families? I like the idea of everyone managing their own FP+ but I also like the idea of mixing up the groups a bit, especially since some of us have young kids, some have teenagers, and some are just adults. This way I could get my little kids on the same FP+ with my sister's young kids. Does this make sense? It did in my head
