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We are DVC members and make our trips annually. I have become pretty good at the dining and fastpass planning for our party of 6. Next year we may be doing an extended family trip with a party of somewhere between 13-15 people. Has anyone planned a trip for this many people? How do you do dining ressies? Fastpasses? Any tips would be appreciated.
Yes, we have, and we've had some tremendous trips and great memories. My wife is the champ in this area, but I'll try to give a few tips she always discusses.
If one person is going to handle the dining and/or fast passes, everyone on the trip should have their own MDE account, and should allow that one person permission to manage the account. Then you should be able to include them in dining and fast passes and hotel reservations.
Technically, for dining, you will not need to have everyone identified - all you'll need is to know the number of guests. You can make those reservations 180 days out, no matter where you might be staying during the trip. By the way, there are several places around Disney where we could sit together as a group - sometimes at a single table, sometimes at a couple tables next to each other. Some places we've done with up to 21 people are 'OHana, Boma, Chef Mickey's, Teppan Edo, Rainforest Cafe, and China. I know there are others willing to work with you.
Fast passes are a little more involved. If your group is staying onsite with a Disney resort reservation, you can make FPs for everyone in the group beginning at 60 days, and for the length of your trip. But everyone in the group must be linked to a reservation (on MDE), and everyone must have a Disney ticket purchased and linked, as well. Everyone in the group can have their own FPs, depending how the group wants to spend a particular day. You can only get fast passes for up to the number of days on the pass a person buys - 3-day pass means only 3 days of fast passes.
I'm sure others can offer you other details and ideas. A trip like this can be intimidating, but so much fun. A recommendation we have learned with our trips - don't try to do everything with everybody all the time! Pick a few things to do as a group (like a breakfast or a dinner or a morning at Magic Kingdom), and let folks do their own thing other times. It makes for a much better vacation!
My suggestion is to not micromanage the whole group. It will be exhausting for you. I find that making one group meal a day, and then letting everyone divide up as they want, to be what works best for us.
What are the age groups for your party? Any special dietary concerns? Any must do things? Give us a little more info and I'm sure the experts here can help you with a fantastic trip.
Thanks for the feedback. We will cover most ages in our group. I have 3 teenagers and my brother and sister have a 5 year old and 2 seven year olds. I've become pretty good at getting dinner ressies at the 180 day mark for a party of 6 and fastpasses at the 60 day mark. But I have never attempted for a large party. I'm more wondering about the process for large groups. Can I go online and book a dinner for 13-15 people or Do I book 2 ressies (7 people each). Same with fastpasses. Can I go online at the 60 day mark and get fastpasses for a party of 13-15?
It really depends on the restaurant. Some restaurants you have to call directly for a large group (for example, The Edison). Some restaurants you can book for a large group (like O'hana) and others you will have to try to book two separate groups (like Beaches N Cream). If you aren't trying to book any crazy busy places (like Cinderella's Table), you may want to just call Disney Dining when they open and have them deal with it. They are pretty good at looking for different combinations to get your group in.
If everyone in your group is linked to your My Disney Experience and has tickets, you will be able to make all of their fastpasses. Make sure you check everything the day before, even if you had it all set up correctly in advance. Sometimes weird glitches happen, like my daughter-in-law mysteriously disappearing off of my MDE.
For most places you can do it all online for reservations except for a few like was mentioned. Some places may split you up into 2 groups but they will often have the tables next to each other or pushed together if that happens. Fast passes can be booked for all of your party as well by one person at the same time. it's easy.Quote:
Originally Posted by NY GOOFY
I do this about every other year for our party of 14 and I keep track on a spreadsheet. I list all fast passes, dinner information, etc and just send it to everyone. There are days when we decide to split up for a bit but everyone knows where to be based on the spreadsheet. The app can be finicky in the parks so I throw the spreadsheet in my bag and I keep a photo of it on my phone.