Years ago we decided the entire family would take a week vacation to Walt Disney World. Ages would range from late 70’s down to 4 – all in a group of 13! Quite the span, but we were up for the task!
First thing first, we sat down with everyone to get their must do’s, don’t want to do’s and ok to do’s. Some of the smaller ones obviously would not be able to do everything, but there was definitely enough to keep them busy and entertained. My grandmother and parents are not comfortable with fast rides, so we planned for shops, shows and some of the slower rides with them.
For logistics sake, we also decided to only have things for the entire group done at the hotel, such as meals and evening chats. Meals for that many with 5 different checks could be quite hectic since we had 4 little ones under 6 and the oldest was in a wheelchair. I have seen large groups at different restaurants in the parks, but for this group, staying at the food court just made sense.
We did book all the hotel rooms together at the now, French Quarter. This hotel is one of my favorites and is a much smaller size then some of the others. Kudos to the cast members at check-in, we were on the lower level of the hotel, all side by side and our rooms opened up into a large courtyard for the kids to play in. We couldn’t have asked for a better place.
We were dealing with 4 families so we planned for us, the grandparents, to take the kids for either afternoons or mornings several times during our stay, leaving their parents to do their own thing if they wanted. We also planned to take my grandmother, who was in the wheelchair for a day or two to leave my parents some time alone also. This proved to work out well, everyone had a break and it was much easier to keep smaller groups together than all of us together.
My favorite part was spending time with my grandmother, who had never been able to Walt Disney World. She especially liked World Showcase. We spent most of the day there. With her being in a wheelchair, we really took our time and were able to take in all the little shops and sights.
By the way, the picture above was the then 6 year old that went on that trip with us so many years ago!
While taking a larger group does take a little more planning, it was one of the most memorable trips I can remember. What’s the largest group you have taken?
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Debbie and her husband live in Collegedale, TN where her youngest son is going to college. She is a huge Disney fan who dreams of someday retiring and working as a tour guide at Walt Disney World. She has enjoyed many trips to WDW with children, grandchildren and sometimes adults only. It is her ultimate goal to make sure everyone who visits WDW has the same magical time that she enjoys every time she visits.
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