Extended Family wants a reunion trip.

[Kaylee Ann]

We have done WDW and Disneyland 25+ times and we adore it. Our relatives have never done it, they have never left the state actually. They already said they want to do the 22 hour drive with us. I am a little bit of a Disney control freak and it's hard for me to relinquish some of my power. Please give me some tips for the family reunion trip!

 

[chloelovesdisney]

We go with extended family every few years. We travel separately, meet up there and rent a 5 bedroom house through VBRO. Everyone gives feedback on what interests them, any must dos, etc., and I schedule the adrs and FP+. We don't stay together the entire time, some days we tour together and others we may just spend the morning together and then go our separate ways after lunch, etc..

I try to make plans keeping everyone in mind, but everyone knows the adrs and FP+ are booked and if they want to sleep in for instance, I am getting in the car and will see you all later. I don't get upset if my brother and his wife for instance want to take the morning off, I'm just not keeping my son in the house waiting around for them for hours. It's easy with cell phones these days to keep in touch and meet up later.

Touring does take longer, keep that in mind when making plans. More people needing to stop to use the bathroom, get a water, take a photo, so many, many, many reasons to stop, lol.

In the end we all have a blast, I love our extended family trips.

 

[happymommy]

I'm the opposite - I've done one trip with my family of 4, my sister's family of 6 and my parents (who pretty much hate Disney, so don't know why the hell they wanted to go!).

I found it frustrating! We know what we like to do, so it was annoying to wait for others to dilly dally! Of course we didn't stay together the whole time, but we did all stay at the same resort (AKL, even though I knew they would like the BWI better, and my sister, who insisted on a 2 bedroom club level suite would have done better in a 2br villa there, which would have cost the same and that's rack rate through Disney).

No way would I do a 22 hour drive with them. If they did want to go, I would also agree to meet there. I would stay on site, even if it's a value resort, so you aren't worrying about driving.

Are they able to walk all day or half the day in the parks? If they have children, explain that many use strollers for their kids way beyond the age that they're using them at home.

Personally, I'd book your trip and let them know this is where you'll be staying, and let them decide if they want to book.

 

[Julylady]

I would 100% agree to this trip! You say you have been 25 times.. So why not make the 26th one special by sharing it with family who have never been there? I have also been at least 30 times. I try to adjust the trip to those who are traveling with me. Going with my little nieces? A princess-centric trip. Teenagers? Lots of roller coasters and late nights, and no rope drop. My 81 year old Mom? Just 3-4 hours in a park each day with lots of downtime at the hotel. Not doing the same things every trip is what keeps Disney fresh and fun to me.

Think of how much fun it will be to experience Disney World through there new eyes!

 

[HopperFan]

Have done Family Reunion trips ... good and bad ... learned SO much!

- Everyone travels on their own in their own style so that if there is an issue other families are not impacted.
- If flying stay on site or rent own cars - if driving each family has it's own car.
- Own transportation is EXTREMELY important for park transportation. No waiting for someone or having to leave when you don't want to.
- Stay at hotels/condos in your own rooms. Everyone needs their space to go back to and control. No way I'd share a house/condo.
- Do NOT book breakfasts together, set up meeting times mid/late morning so everyone starts their day on their own terms.
- Book lunches together, it's the one time per day you are probably all guaranteed to be at a park.
- If a family wants one place to eat others don't, book those at dinner where everyone can eat wherever.
- If a long enough trip plan a hotel pool/waterpark day so that you can all hang out and visit with it just chill.
- Talk in advance which attractions you all want to ride together and get FP+ and book them.
- Always have back up plans in your mind ... especially if traveling with families that are novices. Been there, done that.

This is not a day trip somewhere ......... this is an expensive vacation that takes great effort and it can easily be ruined when you go with others who are not for sure on the same wave length. If you put parameters in place to protect your vacation and give outs to the others you are more likely to have success at the end.

 

[Kaylee Ann]

Is it wrong to book character meals without them and not tell them since they cannot afford them? We are planning on doing one together but my immediate family wants to do a few more. Thanks for all the great tips!

 

[pigletliz]

Is it wrong to book character meals without them and not tell them since they cannot afford them? We are planning on doing one together but my immediate family wants to do a few more. Thanks for all the great tips!

Won't they figure it out once you get there? I would just say that your family wants to eat at a few character meals. Leave it up to them to decide if they want to spend their money on the meal. They may not want to eat with characters.

We've gone with extended family numerous times. No way do we all stick together all the time, not for rides, meals or hotels. We schedule a few dinners together, like Cape May and Boma. Sometimes we hit up the same parks, but towards the end of the trip, everyone revisits their favorite.

 

[scrapquitler]

We have done WDW and Disneyland 25+ times and we adore it. Our relatives have never done it, they have never left the state actually. They already said they want to do the 22 hour drive with us. I am a little bit of a Disney control freak and it's hard for me to relinquish some of my power. Please give me some tips for the family reunion trip!

Have a travel agent do all the booking and collect all the money. You deserve to enjoy yourself, so why do all the work for everyone else and deal with the headaches and hassle and people changing their mind, not having money on time, etc.

And don't feel compelled to have everyone stay together. Meet up for some activites, go off as smaller groups for others, let everyone stay at the resort that fits their budget, etc.

 

[roseaster]

Can you give us an idea of who is going and a basic idea of what kind of trip?

On site/ off site?
Do you want to room together or just at the same hotel?
Number of kids/adults?
Ages of kids?

 

[Kaylee Ann]

We are going in June. The two families we are traveling with have never been to Disney so they have no idea what to expect. There are two teens,one tween (who is severely autistic), a four year old, and a five year old. We want our own room but we would like to be at the same resort as them. We also want to be on the Quick service meal plan.

 

[roseaster]

We are going in June. The two families we are traveling with have never been to Disney so they have no idea what to expect. There are two teens,one tween (who is severely autistic), a four year old, and a five year old. We want our own room but we would like to be at the same resort as them. We also want to be on the Quick service meal plan.

That makes it a lot easier. I wan't trying to be nosy, honest. What I would do, and this is strictly my opinion only is I would sit down with them and discuss budgets 1st. See where they are on resorts etc.

I would book my own reservation and help them to book theirs. Once they have a reservation number you can call WDW and have them link your reservations.

As far as meals go, on QS I am assuming that you won't be eating A TS meal every day. For the character meals I would let them know ahead of time and tell them the price and ask them if they would like to join you if they can afford it. If they can, great, make reservations for everyone. If not, that's okay, too.

For the parks/FPs I would again, sit down and talk to them. Direct them to various planning websites and encourage them to get the "The Unofficial Guide." Find out their "must dos" and "won't get nears" and then schedule FP for the things that overlap. Help them schedule any other FP.

What we usually do in regards to touring when we have gone with other people we let them know what time we will be heading out in the morning. If they want to meet you fine, if not they can meet you in the park for a meal or your 1st FP together, but I would make it clear that you are going at whatever time and won't be waiting. I think this gives them the opportunity to go with you, if they want, or opt to get an earlier or later start. ""Hey, we are heading out at 9 tomorrow, if we don't see you at the bus stop, shoot us a text when you get to the park."

We also usually make a plan to meet for dinner, but we usually do 1 TS a day. I guess with QS if you have a plan of where you are going to eat you can say, "meet us there."

 

[pwrflpills]

Are you close with these family members or is this trip an attempt to see and spend time with them?

If you are close and see each other all the time it almost sounds like this is a bad idea. You have vast experience and know what you want to do. They don't know anything about taking a Disney trip. So you're running the potential of making it a clash of your expectations and their lack of desire to keep a tight ship and hit specific sights at specific times.

If you don't see them a lot and this is an attempt to see and spend time with them, you can just take it easy and just go in with no expectations to spend time with them and have a good time. Considering the number of times you've visited this seems reasonable, but I also realize the expenses involved and the difficulty of just going with the flow when you know where things are and how things work.

Regardless of these conditions, it kind of sounds to me like you're going to be their guides for the most part so if I were you and you do move forward I guess I would simply create a trip plan and ask them if they are cool with going along with. Good luck!

 

[kwdw]

1. Absolutely do NOT plan to make the trip to Disney together. Everyone gets there on their own. That's a sure way to start the trip out poorly.

2. I would not book character meals separate from them. That just clearly points out financial distinctions you can avoid.

3. Pick the same resort. Be respectful of financial limitations. Stay on property so folks can drive or ride the bus as they want.

4. Personally, I'd skip parkhoppers on this trip. Pre-plan which park for each day - and try to plan at least one FP at the same time each day.

5. Plan a handful of TS meals for the trip that you will do together and pre-book those.

6. You'll need to teach them how to plan.

7. Good luck.

 

[Hikergirl]

I would start out with a family meeting so that you can all discuss what you want out of your trip, your budgets and all that stuff. You can advise them on things so they have the info and then you guys can make a plan together. I would not plan character meals without telling them. I would maybe try to help them find a way to afford them, like see if the dining plan makes sense for them. Then let them decide if they want to do them too. I think doing it and not telling them can cause an issue.

I find it very hard to vacation with other families (even though I love them). I think the key is to make it clear that you aren't going to be joined at the hip the entire time. Maybe spend a couple of days together touring a park and a couple days families are on their own. Meet up for meals, or specific rides etc.

 

[wampuscat7]

My husband and I have been on trips with extended family twice (once with my family and once with his). The trip with my family included Disneyland and a road trip. We are now preparing for another trip with extended family, but this one will be different now that we have a child. Each of the trips had good and bad, and I'm expecting the same for my upcoming trip.

Be realistic about your expectations, and communicate openly with your family. Are you going to expect everyone to do everything together all the time? Are you going to go your separate ways or break up into groups for activities and then meet as a larger group at certain times (for instance, one group goes to ride the mountains and another stays in Fantasyland, etc.)? What kind of vacationers/theme parkers are they? Are they going to want to be there at rope drop, stay late, take a break in the middle of the day, ride everything commando style, experience fewer things at a more leisurely pace?

Are they people who will want to plan out the trip, or the type who will sit back and leave the planning to you? (Or the worst - people who ask you to plan but then want to wing it once they get there.)

Like the previous poster, I find it very difficult to vacation with certain people. I also wouldn't try to hide a character meal from them. Just say here are some things we are planning to do, if you would like to join us. (Or you can leave the "join us" part out if you are planning some special time for just your family.)

 

[usd2bmd]

We have done WDW and Disneyland 25+ times and we adore it. Our relatives have never done it, they have never left the state actually. They already said they want to do the 22 hour drive with us. I am a little bit of a Disney control freak and it's hard for me to relinquish some of my power. Please give me some tips for the family reunion trip!

We did a trip with my husband's family once. My best advice for you is to go in with absolutely no expectations. I would leave everyone in control of their own planning. Depending on how long you go for, maybe plan one or two meals with everyone. We made it clear from the start that this was NOT going to be a trip where we spent all day/every day together. That is (IMO) the best way to ruin the place you love and a family vacation.

We are planners by nature (My husband, daughter and I) and his family is definitely not. but to each their own. Every family has a different vacation style. We were up and out early and would try to meet up with his family during the day, but it very seldom ever worked out.

 

[HopperFan]

We did a trip with my husband's family once. My best advice for you is to go in with absolutely no expectations. I would leave everyone in control of their own planning. Depending on how long you go for, maybe plan one or two meals with everyone. We made it clear from the start that this was NOT going to be a trip where we spent all day/every day together. That is (IMO) the best way to ruin the place you love and a family vacation.

We are planners by nature (My husband, daughter and I) and his family is definitely not. but to each their own. Every family has a different vacation style. We were up and out early and would try to meet up with his family during the day, but it very seldom ever worked out.

Agreed, and relationships.

My best trips were when we traveled on our own, stayed in different rooms and even hotels, had some meals/time together and some apart. The VERY best were with those I could be totally honest with - aka "We have booked a family dinner here, how about we meet later for ice cream." "My kids don't want to do that park, but you guys go, how about we eat breakfast together before we split up." Advance honesty and the ability to accept it on the spot is a requirement for all my future travel mates.

 

[MiniMom22]

I suggest having a family meeting and discussing expectations, most problems arise from misunderstandings. I am taking my extended family next June, being my three sisters and their families plus mine (18 people). Two of my sisters want to stay together the entire time, the other doesn't but I imagine she will so she doesn't feel left out. My sisters haven't done Disney World with little ones and they know I'm a self proclaimed expert so they want to stick with me. We did this at Disneyland first as a group of 14 and it was perfect, not a single issue for three days. Both of my brother-in-laws are Type A but they really enjoyed the no-hassle personal tour guide experience I provided at Disneyland so everyone has relinquished all planning control to me. Again, if they had different expectations or wanted a totally different experience than us then I would have us split up but since they want me to show them Disney World, you may see 18 people sticking together if you're there in June! Of course I will plan accordingly for a large group and not expect things to happen like it does when it is just my family of four. That's the key. If you've been 25-30 times as a small family and then you plan a trip for a large group, you need to change your expectations. You can't do everything as quickly or as exactly as you always do with a large group so I wouldn't expect to. The purpose of this trip is spend time with family, make memories and introduce them to Disney. I remember the first time my husband went to Disney World and seeing him even feel the magic, it was exciting for me and I love taking people and helping them have those experiences. I would slow down and let them enjoy the magic, not try to cram your usual itinerary in but that is just my opinion. Again, I would talk to them about what they want, talk to all the children about this being a trip to make memories together and that everyone will get to do what they enjoy, just not always at the exact moment they want to and plan a magical time! Good luck!

 

[mdb78]

Is it wrong to book character meals without them and not tell them since they cannot afford them? We are planning on doing one together but my immediate family wants to do a few more. Thanks for all the great tips!

I wouldn't hide it from them. Tell them you're planning on booking x amount of character meals. Let them know the cost per person, and if they want to join you on those extra character meals to let you know so you can include them in the reservation.