Tips for Traveling with Family, Friends & Large Groups
I had one of the most magical vacations with my best friend from childhood family in January 2022. It was a PERFECT 5 days, and I can not wait to go back and do it again.
Since we are a Walt Disney World family, many of our friends and family want to travel with us since we know the parks so well. And we love taking people because we plan the trip based on their wants and goals, since we go to the parks often.
Traveling with friends & family to Disney can be a BLAST! But here are some things to consider before planning a trip with the people you love the most!
BUDGET
From the very beginning, we set a budget and expectations. We stayed within the budget, and it was realistic for everything we wanted to accomplish. I was very upfront and honest about the cost of Disney based on their goals, then I told her to save a 10% buffer. We talked about sit-down dinners and character meals. We set expectations with our kids on souvenirs and planned for extravagant purchases, like magical makeovers and added the cost of Genie+.
With my kids, we do not buy souvenirs from the parks often because they go to Disney 3 - 5 times a year. So it was important to let my kids know they would not get souvenirs but the other family would be buying items from the park.
Not all budgets are the same, and that is okay. STAY within your means, and set the expectations for YOUR family. It does not matter what the others do. But it is nice to be prepared when budgets do not align, especially with small children, they may not understand why certain kids are getting more items at the park.
LODGING
Are we staying together or apart? And what is the budget?
When we travel with friends, we ALWAYS do a split stay. Here is why, the first two to three days of the trip are always intense. The excitement is high, and we want to be at the parks ALL day. At that point, you are at the parks more than you are in the room, and you need a place to lay your head. That is why I choose to stay at value or moderate resorts.
Once we get to the part of the trip where we are resting more and have leisure park days, we move over to our Disney Vacation Club Villas.
There are numerous options on where to stay when heading to Orlando. I have stayed off property at hotels because family and friends have points. We have rented Air BnBs to have more room for the kids to spread out, and some have even rented DVC points for their villa.
But before you BUNK up with your friends and family, it is good to ask some of the questions below.
How close is your relationship?
Do you understand the dynamics of each other families?
Does this space give you enough privacy?
What are the dynamics of the kids?
What are the dynamics of the spouses or partners?
Are you okay with witnessing fights and disagreements, and will that make you uncomfortable?
What are your family's needs?
Do you need a quiet space at night?
Will the room provide enough space?
In most cases is it probably BEST for friends and family to not stay together in the same hotel room, for numerous reasons. Staying in the same suite or rental reduces privacy, and Disney can be a high-stress situation. But in our case, it has always worked out because we are realistic about our relationships with friends and family. We know who we can bunk with and with who we should have rooms next door too.
My best friend and I have known each other since we were 4. We have been through every phase of life together, and even with living half a country away, we talk 3 -4 times most weeks. So we knew staying in the same room would not be a problem once we merged for the latter half of our stay. But it was probably a good idea that on our full park days, especially since it was their first trip to Disney, they had their own quiet space to adjust to the Disney exhaustion.
PRIORITY OF RIDES & ATTRACTIONS
This is easy for us because, as I stated above, we base joint trips on the other family because we get to do what we want on other trips or stay a few days after doing what we want. But when traveling with friends its important to look at numerous factors when it comes to rides.
On this trip was my Best Friend also had a Disney Infant. Which meant we would both need to utilize Rider Switch for some of the rides and attractions, which was nice because we could wait together and enjoy the attraction together.
I sat with her many times over the months planning and asked her what she and her husband wanted to do and the things she wanted her kids to experience. We made sure that each kid got a chance to do something they wanted, and I made sure she didn't miss out on any must-do experiences.
When planning with your friends and family, it's important to gather a list of everyone's top 3 must-do priorities and start planning from there. See where you align, consider the kids' ages, and realistically what you can accomplish in the days at the park.
Also, my kids know they are the Disney pros and that it was important to ensure that her kids got to experience as much as possible. There was no whining or complaining from the bigger kids, which was wonderful. We did have a few toddler meltdowns due to Disney exhaustion, and we were lucky that our babies would nap when we needed to utilize rider switch.
THE KIDS
Our kids have spent their entire lives connecting over the years of driving back to Texas (Yes, I drive from PA to TX, too!). So we make a pit stop at my best friends so our kids can play, they are not growing up together, but they are growing up knowing each other. But the ages lined up pretty close, and we both know our kids' personalities. So for this trip, our kids matched up perfectly. It makes me a little emotional because that is all you want when you have a best friend, to see your kids play together, and our oldest boys share the same birthday two years apart. So it was really special to experience their first Disney trip.
However, if you do not have this situation, evaluate how the dynamics of the kids will be, if it's better to separate as a group on some days do that. This will be important when the ages are drastically different. For example, we traveled with seven kids ten and under, so everyone had a buddy. The dynamics would have been very different if we had had pre-teens/teens and Disney infants. When we traveled to the parks with my Brother in Law and his son, they took off during the day to ride some of the big coasters at Universal since he was 17 years old and my oldest is 10. We always made a plan to meet back up, but we did not want him to miss out on the thrill rides my kids were not big enough to get on.
TAKE A BREAK
I always plan some time away from my family and friends on a Disney trip. Does it happen? Only about 10% of the time. We always want to be together, but I plan that buffer just in case. You never know how it will go while you are on the trip. ESPECIALLY traveling with friends that you may not be very close to, it's a lot easier to travel with all adults, when you travel with kids the dynamic changes. So it's good to have pre-planned time separate and then if it turns out you don't want to spend time apart then great! Personal space is okay, and its not a reflection of distance in a friendship, we all process and do things differently in our own households and its important to respect that and find balance on a family vacation.
Say it with me, “It is OKAY to split up at the park.” When you are planning to spend time away from someone, it's important to pre-plan to maintain a healthy and positive relationship. One of the key factors in doing so is to ensure that there is an open line of communication between you and the other person. This way, there is no confusion or misinterpretation that could lead to annoyance or frustration. By taking these proactive steps, you can ensure that your time apart is productive and enjoyable for both parties involved.
So grateful we could share these memories of a lifetime with all our friends who we have gone to the parks with us, Disney is such a special place for us. Hopefully these tips will help you plan your next trip with those who you love.
OTHER RESOURCES
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