Have you ever brought "other people" on your WDW vacation? How was it?

[Gregandmel]

We went to WDW for our first trip last year, just DH and our 2 DS's and had a fabulous time. OUr next trip, my parents will be joining us (who are the EASIEST people in the world to travel with) as well as a friend of DS#1 (who will be 19 and his friend, 20). I know this will be a much different trip since there are other people to think of, but does anyone have any advice on how to make this easier??

[Cinderella's Lady in Waiting]

We took my 70 yr old parents three years ago. There really wasn't much to "make easier". We told them before we went: here's how we travel, at what speed, how early we get up, if you want to come be prepared. They kept up every day!Sometimes knocking on our adjoining door before we were up to make sure we weren't late for openings! The adjoining rooms were a great help....we didn't have to walk them to another room....we were all ready at the same time. Be upfront and very open and blunt about everything. My dad tends too be very generous and we talked about paying our own way: meals, snacks, souvenirs, that didn't stop him from talking to the waitresses to make sure the check was given to him
Most of all enjoy the time spent with your parents....three short years later my Mom has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and doesn't always know who we are. I'm glad we went with them

[TiggerD]

We took our sons wife when she was just his fiance and also our others sons fiance in 2001 and we have all gone back together and now with 2 grandchildren and one on the way. Yes with more people it is a small challenge but it is memories of being with family that is wonderful. We spent quality time together and then we also had out own time together but we all met at night for dinner and discussing of our days adventures.

[Dancer Mom]

Yes, we took my parents one one trip and 4 friends (3 adults, 1 child) on another trip. Also, we didn't all stay together for everything. We mostly ate meals together, especially character meals, but not always. We didn't go together to all the parks everyday.

Also, in both cases, we had 2 rooms.

[faline]

I'd suggest you make it clear that you don't require everyone to spend every minute together. Perhaps they want to go back to the resort mid-day for a nap, pool time, or relaxation. Make sure they know it will not hurt your feelings if they do this.

Do plan some "not to miss" time together such as dining reservations.

[GoofyforFun]

Last trip we had both IL and friends of ours with there 2 kids.. We planned a lot of ahead of time for dinners with DDP 11 people. (this had alot to do with the last time our friends were there, was with his IL and they had no plans and ran around the parks then tried to do dinners and had to wait in line while he was starving) . We did go separate ways once we got into the park sometimes. My IL mostly stayed with us, for the GK's of course. So plan a little and see what people want to do and when. relax and have fun your at WDW.

[E-OR]

We have gone with one of our sons friends, (19 years old) once and once with SIL her husband and 3 kdis and friends with their daughter. The trip with our sons friend we let them run around on their own a lot. We were surprised how much they wanted to be with us though. The trip with family and friends we would spend time doing some things together and then split up for other things. We did the water park all together, certain rides, and parades but never stressed out over not being together all the time. We had a great time and would love to all go down again with them. I think that you just have to decide if you want to stay together the whole time, knowing that you are only as fast as the slowest person, or split up occasionaly.

[Gregandmel]

That's great info - and for LadyinWaiting, your parents sound JUST EXACTLY like mine!! ha ha. We usually fight over who "gets" to pay for the meals! Wonderful advice and we'll be sure to let them know how we travel, and we don't have to be attached to the hip at ALL times!! Thanks so much for the +++ response. It'll really help!

[yjgirl32]

The first time to Disney my mom and myaunt (mom's sister) and 2 adult friends went with us. OUr trip in Sept 09 is the same along with my husbnad's parents. We have meetings and tell everyone to pick things they want to do and we all pick a TS to eat at. I know for the most part all of us are sticking together- mainly because my mom and aunt are legally blind- and my FIL has parkinson's so they won't wonder off without us- but no big deal we all know this going in and just have to adjust some things.

[wdwfansince75]

DW and I took one trip for just the two of us, for her birthday. We spent most of the time saying, "Gee, I wish the kids were here!"
We have always gone with 2 or more of our 4 kids, and since 96, 3 or more of our 7 grandkids....Twice, we had DMiL and DFiL...once with DBiL, DSiL, and their son.....And on several trips, friends of DD's, and at least 3 times, with friends of DW and I.....Cardinal rule.....we do what we do, first and foremost....But....we try to do one day as a group, and offer friendly suggestions. We always do several character meals, and offer to include non-family members in our ADR's....I do most of the planning, and offer to do ADR's for the whole group, or subsets.

Almost from our first trip, we rarely tour the parks as a single gaggle...but we have an uncanny ability to encounter each other. And usually, such encounters turn into a Spontaneous And Magical event... Perhaps, in honor of DGS#4, we'll call them SAM's from now on....

So, my rules for successful group experiences:
1. We do what we do...
2. We are not tour guides, but you are welcome to follow us.
3. We will tell you our plans....and you are welcome to be included...
4. We often change our plans...Park Hoppers are a Must!
4. If you want to do something else, please do so....don't be disappointed if we don't join you.

[korkelsmom]

We went to the world in Feb 2008 with the whole herd of my family...My husband, myself, and our two girls, my sister, her husband, their two kids, and my mom and dad who are in their 50's....My mom and dad had never been so I was sooo excited for them. My advice is to make sure you have time for just you and your family. And don't expect them to have a great a time as you did. My mom complained about EVERYTHING...my Dad was TIRED the whole time....it was not fun at all..just be sure they know how fast you go what you expect and dont let them ruin your fun.

[ibrowse17]

As an adult, we met my parents at Disney in Feb 08. It was a good time, and I enjoyed sharing Disney with the people that introduced me to it in 1975. Being a bit older now, I enjoyed this time with mom and dad. It was fun to hear the stories of my first trips, even though I was the center of some funny tales. DW loved it!!

In July of 08, DW and I took our 8 year old nephew to Disney for his first trip. He had a ball! We stayed at the WL, and we loved watching Disney through the eyes of child. It was amazing that with all Disney has to offer, he was most impressed by the bathroom light in our room that came on and turned off whenever you walked in or out! We were also worried how he would react to thrill rides, but he could not get enough of them once he figured out he liked them!

[PETE FROM NYC]

Last trip was with DW's family.Their first trip.They said for us to make all plans,ADRs,etc,they would follow along with us.The kids ,14 and 12,complained alot.Too many kiddy rides.DW and I are usually in our park du jour by 9AM,the kids did not want to get up early. One day they slept in saying they would meet us around 11,at 1PM we got a call,they decided to go to Universal.Now,I have nothing against Universal,but that was never in our plans.They would often disappear with us missing our ADRs looking for them.
We have made severasl trips with other Disney type families and had a ball.But never again will I go with anyone who is not a WDW addict like me.

[wire0monkey]

We went with my MIL once and with my brother once.

The trip with my MIL was okay. Not great, but okay. She doesn't ask for what she wants, which drives me nuts. She refused to provide input into the plans ("Whatever you think is best") and then complained when things didn't go exactly like she wanted. She makes my brain hurt.

We also went with my brother, which was great. He offered clear input for what he wanted to do/eat/see/avoid and then let me plan it out. Then he went along for the ride. He had a great time, and we were glad to have him.

[tinklover]

we went in June it was myself , DBF, DD4 (at the time) and dd2 1/2 (at the time),the girls' mommom and poppop, 2 aunts and an uncle and my nephew 3( at the time) and my niece 9 months ( at the time) and the uncle's brother . let me just say never again.
they all had never been before and they asked me to plan everything out including hotel and rental cars and what not . so that is what i did. then about 2 months before the trip i was told that the reservation for the 15 passanger van was changed to 7 passanger mini van. pop pop said it was not wise for all of us to be in one vehicle incase of an accident. so it was all of them and the 4 of us and we took my nephew with us as well. so i did not really see the logic there since teh majority were still in one vehicle. anyway.... the day before the rest of the money was due on the rooms at pop, the one aunt calls me to tell me that they will not be able to go, if they do they will have no money when they get home. now mind you i had planned out what days in what parks for different EMH hours and what not. i said fine she said she would still let her son go with us and just give us the money . i told her that would not work as you can have no more then 4 ina room at pop. so then they work it out to wher ethey were going to stay off site. it was a night mare they were not at the parks on time and we did the waiting game for them each and every day. so yeah never again it will just be the 4 of us from here on out .

[tink2006]

One year we met part of my family at the World. Let me set the tone...They (group of 5)decided at the end of MAY that we would go to WDW in JUNE. Needless to say rooms choices were minimal and ADRS were very limited. We stayed at the POFQ and managed to get connecting rooms (Disney is AMAZING). After the hectic pre trip preparations, we had a wonderful time. We have met at Disney a couple of times since that first trip. Yes, I have set some ground rules....Need to let me know you are going with a little bit more lead time, etc.

My family is in Puerto Rico and I am in Indiana. Anytime we get a chance to get together is incredible. Truth be known if they gave me 24 hour notice I would try to make it work

[Figment78]

I've been on TONS of trips with multiple groups.

First time we went in '90, it was me, my sis, mom and dad, and my grandparents. I was 12 and my sister was 8. My grandparents went most of the time to the park with us, but we always met up for dinners.

Second trip, in '91, my uncle and two cousins went with me, sis, mom and dad. Most of the time we were together. But often, the boys just wanted to swim, so we did spend time apart then too.

I've been to WDW for 2 high school band trips and actually it was THOSE trips that taught me that smaller groups are better. First trip, we had about 20 girls that wanted to do everything together. the second trip, I got wise, and it was me and a mixed group of about 6 people who just went and did whatever we actually wanted to do.

In '00 we brought my boyfriend (I was then 22) with me, sis, mom and dad. No problems at all there. We were together 90% of the time, except the one night that the "kids" went to pleasure island (whoohooo Adventurer's club) and one time boyfriend and I went off by ourselves for dinner.

In '03, it was me, DH, sis, sis's boy friend, mom and dad. Mostly together for that one. No problems at all.

In '07, DH and I went with my parents AND his parents. I thought it was goign to be a disaster with 6 adults, but my MIL and FIL had never been, so they basically wanted to tag along with us and would do whatever we wanted. I planned the trip, taking into consideration age, etc. We spent most of our time together except for 2 afternoons when we all went our separate ways. We also tried to take breaks in our rooms on some days to have some down time. My parents sometimes would relax at night in the lounge for a drink while my IL's would go to their room to call family, etc. It was so fun to take rookies! I love introducing people to WDW.

Next trip it's me, DH and DS. First time as a family on our own.... adventure!

Our April 2010 trip will be me, DH, DS, mom, dad, sis, and sis's boyfriend (not the same as in 03). We're celebrating the 20th anniversary of our very first trip to the world!
Enjoy the new dynamic. You'll be fine!

[Hull-onian]

The answer is yes. We went with my Mom, Sis, her hubby, me, and my hubby. Trip went without a hitch, but we did not stay on property. We stayed right outside the gate, and it looses some of it's magic. Next trip granddaughter and me. Worked well. Next trip hubby, me, sis-in-law, and her friend. Great trip. We even got to go to Sea World. Next trip DD, me, GS. Got to go to Sea World again. Next trip, DD, GD,GS, Me, and go to go to Sea World. This trip with hubby,me, sis-in-law and her ten year old GD (our niece). We are staying at POFQ. Can't wait 43 days out.

[Janmac]

All of our trips over the last 20 years have been with extended family. There are some differences with perhaps the biggest being that everything takes longer. If the 4 of you can cover a certain amount of park in a certain amount of time, you might have to either halve the amount of park or double the time with a bigger group. Younger kids and folks with mobility issues (arthritic knees) will slow things down, too. Sometimes slower is better because you see things you might not have seen before.

Until our most recent trip last September everyone toured every park together. We did stay on property and return to our resort every afternoon after lunch for a few hours break, for either swimming or napping or whatever. During our touring we needed to factor in nobody being on the same restroom schedule and frequent peeling off to visit stores. If you know this is going to happen and figure it's all part of being in the World, and adjust for it, then touring together works. To be sure there are one or two that chaff at being part of a crowd, or adhering to someone else's schedule. I have pretty much kept to the idea that this is what I'm doing today - you're welcome to do something else and that seems to satisfy those one or two.

Also, it's so important to bring along your sense of humor, a willingness to scrap the day's plan entirely if necessary (a daily guideline is almost required), and maybe even adopt a saying like our favorite: we'll catch that next trip!

We did have pre-trip meetings where we discussed which attractions were must do or must avoid - we use Disney guidebooks, usually 2 or 3, for information and photos. We also all luckily like to eat our way around the World. For many of our trips, we had 3 sit down meals every day. With large groups this means a lot of ADRs. (Or whatever they're currently being called.) We like character breakfasts, lunches at resorts and suppers at Epcot countries.

The reason for the togetherness touring was that most of the group were not comfortable navigating around Disney World on their own. This last trip we were a bit smaller group, and, after 20 years, more familiar with the transportation system.

I'm thinking that your son and his friend will like to break off on their own while your parents might be more inclined to tour with you. Perhaps you can meet every evening for supper to share with each other your day's experiences.

And when you get back from your stay in the World maybe you can post your trip report, letting us know what worked and what didn't.

Enjoy!

Jan

[Gooftroop5]

I've also been on several trips with people other then immediate family. Biggest thing is let the older ones have some time to themselves. Also stress which time it is important you are together & what time is theirs. Don't expect everyone to want to do the same things. Also stress the fact everyone must speak their mind. If you don't speak up no complaining later.

My first 2 trips was just my parents, my bro & me. I was too little to remember either trip.

That was the first trip with my grandparents we went on. my brother & I were teenagers. My parents let us go by ourselves at times with a time to meet them. Much to my grandmother's protests.

We went with my parents after dh & I were married no kids. (dh's 1st trip) We had a blast. We spent a lot of time together but we had our own rooms & we had time to ourselves too. (first night dh & I ate in the castle it was our 2nd anniversary my parents went off on their own. We met up later for the fireworks.)

The next trip we had dd & we went with my parents & my brother & sil. That was a trip that when my brother & sil weren't there was great but it put a lot of stress on my parents. (parents paid for their trip & bro constantly blamed everyone for ruining his time when something didn't go his way. Including my dd. Glad when they went home & we still had 4 days @ disney without them.)

Next trip was just dh, dd & I. No problems what so ever.

Last trip there were 14 of us. Dh, dd, 2ds's, my parents, my bro, sil & their 2 dds, 3 friends & myself. Well even though we said we wouldn't go with my bro again we went. However he was the least of our problems. The 3 (2 ladies 1 guy, husband & wife & sil )friends were the problem. Day 1 was so-so with them. 20 minute waits while they went to the bathroom. Thought 2 ladies were going to go their own way but whenever we thought they were we had to wait for them. (this was what we were all led to believe before the trip the guy was going to ride the rides w/ the kids & the ladies were going to go shopping take in the shows & milder rides) Day 2 another day thought they were going to do their own thing nope kept having to wait for them. We had our big meal together @ breakfast. We fed kids lunch they weren't hungry had a snack. Gave kids snack to hold them off for later for dinner (dh & I weren't hungry) & evidently the 3 friends were hungry instead of telling anyone (these are adults my parents age) they were hungry they wait until they are over hungry. They leave to go get dinner finally when they asked what the plans were for dinner i told him that my mom & I were discussing it & weren't sure yet. Instead of giving input they just leave. Later that night when i was telling them the time for the next morning I get yelled at for not telling them when to eat. Well the rest of the trip went downhill from there. We were told thru them complaining to my mom that they we were treating them as an afterthought they didn't know why they bothered.(this was the guy the 2 ladies never complained once.) dh & i stopped waiting & took the kids ahead to ride rides because it wasn't fair to have the kids wait all the time for them. My parents were cool with us doing that. matter of fact they were always telling us to go ahead they would catch up cause they were slower getting there. On the 3rd night he snipped at my mom for nothing. He was rude & snippy the rest of the trip. Constantly making little snide remarks etc. Final straw was how he yelled at ds#1 for something he had no right to yell at him for especially in the tone he was using & I was sitting right next to ds#1. He was across the walkway on a different bench. Ds#1 didn't even do what he was yelling at him for. After the trip they all want to go again with us again.Well lets say its going to be a cold day you know were before that happens. He has apologized to my mom for yelling & snipping at her he has yet to say one word to me about any of it. all i still get is rude comments & underlying tones. I stopped talking to him.

This trip is dh, dd, 2ds's , my parents & me. Originally it was just going to be the 5 of us. i told my parents we were going already booked our trip the day before had put down payment down & everything. My parents seemed intersted & they want to go with just the 5 of us. So I told them they could join us if they wanted didn't care if they were even in the same resort. They called & got a room booked. The travel agent & her put the reservations together asking for connecting rooms hopefully (if not at least adjoining). Last year I was dreading it this year I am so excited. I can't wait.