Help! Grandparents trying to plan a family WDW adventure and overwhelmed!

[Rory607]

We have done a few multi-generational trips. I know you said you rented an Airbnb, but I would consider staying on-site. It takes the transportation piece out of the planning. We all stayed at the same resort with each family group having their own room. We typically started the day together, then if people wanted to split off, no problem. We made one meal reservation each day and everyone met up for it. It worked well for us. I would use a travel agent. There are lots of free ones available.

One safety tip: make sure everyone knows who is in charge of the kids at all times. We had one instance where there was a mix up with my toddler nephew. My sister-in-law thought her parents were watching him. They thought she was watching him, but he had actually wandered off. We found him very quickly, but it was a scary situation.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Hello! My husband and I are taking the three adult kids 8 grandchildren to WDW the beginning of May 2024 for the first time. The grandchildren range in age from 3 to 13 and of course we want to make the most of it. I keep hearing about planning multiple itineraries and making reservations but how do you know how long it will take to get from one adventure to the next? And how do you plan an itinerary? Any advice is appreciated!

We're grandparents who have taken family trips with adult children and grandchildren. We've always stayed at a WDW resort and used Disney transportation to get everywhere. The most memorable family combined events occurred at meals. We had great fun at the breakfast character meal at Tusker House in Animal Kingdom. Dinner at Ohana and at Cape May were fun, too. But we've also broken up into different groups and let some families do their own thing in the parks.

I would plan some fun activities at the place you are renting. The family will have fun talking about their day. Kids love to swim and if your place has a pool then they will want to swim. We stayed in a 2br villa at Old Key West with the family and our 10 year old grandson said that his favorite thing was being together at the villa.

The parents of the young children will appreciate your babysitting skills so that they can ride the roller coasters and other rides that their children can't ride. Keep it loosely scheduled and everyone will have fun. The best memories will be made at the place you are staying, when the family is truly together and relaxed.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Hello! My husband and I are taking the three adult kids 8 grandchildren to WDW the beginning of May 2024 for the first time. The grandchildren range in age from 3 to 13 and of course we want to make the most of it. I keep hearing about planning multiple itineraries and making reservations but how do you know how long it will take to get from one adventure to the next? And how do you plan an itinerary? Any advice is appreciated!

besides knowing who has each child all the time, have a picture of each child each morning and again if clothes change just in case of losing a child. that way you do not have to think what are they wearing that day

 

[rdaky]

I would plan some fun activities at the place you are renting. The family will have fun talking about their day. Kids love to swim and if your place has a pool then they will want to swim. We stayed in a 2br villa at Old Key West with the family and our 10 year old grandson said that his favorite thing was being together at the villa.

I agree about this. Plan some airbnb time. One of the things my kids have loved when we have a large family gathering is just the hanging out. Swimming, board games, crafts, baking cookies, whatever. My oldest is an adult now, but one of the things she often mentions about large family gatherings is that she loved when everyone was together in a big house and not so much the high ticket activities.

 

[mjkacmom]

We have done a few multi-generational trips. I know you said you rented an Airbnb, but I would consider staying on-site. It takes the transportation piece out of the planning. We all stayed at the same resort with each family group having their own room. We typically started the day together, then if people wanted to split off, no problem. We made one meal reservation each day and everyone met up for it. It worked well for us. I would use a travel agent. There are lots of free ones available.

One safety tip: make sure everyone knows who is in charge of the kids at all times. We had one instance where there was a mix up with my toddler nephew. My sister-in-law thought her parents were watching him. They thought she was watching him, but he had actually wandered off. We found him very quickly, but it was a scary situation.

We have 5 close in age children, we’ve lost them before, and in every incident it was when we had other adults with us. Rocking horse ranch, crayola factory, even WDW (we lost my dad on his scooter at WDW too when our party split), block party, our own home…

 

[SwanVT2]

We have 5 close in age children, we’ve lost them before, and in every incident it was when we had other adults with us. Rocking horse ranch, crayola factory, even WDW (we lost my dad on his scooter at WDW too when our party split), block party, our own home…

Put a tracker on the scooter! My brother in law did this with his mom’s scooter.

 

[cruising spud]

FishSlayer, If you have been to Disney before, then great, you might know about all about what I am going to say, BUT if not-

First, even a few years away from Disney, means there can be some heavy-duty new changes that you need to learn about. I would suggest YouTube. Perhaps Ear Scouts and DFB Guide to start with.

If you have never been to Disney, keep in mind-Disney is huge, tiring, and expensive.

Second-how many days are you going to be at Disney? Length of time at the parks really helps decide your itinerary.

Genie plus or not? Individual LL or not? If your group wants character meals, do you have reservations? Which parks are you doing and for how many days?

Have you set up MDE? Have you linked everyone to the account?

Does everyone know who is paying for what?

Some of our trips have been with largish groups. We have some hard and fast rules-
#1-We have a set time we leave the hotel in the morning. If you are way behind schedule, we leave without you. When you get to the park, you text, we tell you where we are, and you join us. No drama. Fine and dandy if you decide to sleep in or dawdle.
#2- If we fly-we discuss souvenir suitcase space with the kids before arriving at the parks. We also set up transportation to our hotel.
#3-Who is going to stay at the park all day, and who is going back to the room to relax? Who is taking the kids back for naps, relaxing, meltdowns? Or, is everyone going back to relax?
#4-Which rides are must-sees?
#5-Magic Bands-all party Magic Bands should be bought at the same time. Not everyone needs to buy a band, but those who do, should buy them together.
#6-What time should you leave your rental in order to get to the parks when they open?
#7-Where are you getting groceries?
#8-Have you considered Memory Maker?
#9-Which days are you doing which parks? Some parks are busier some days than other days.

Hope this helps.