Its one thing to have a personal love for the most magical place on Earth but getting to share that love with others is what makes it truly magical.
Ive done Disney hundreds of different ways but today Im going to talk about traveling with a group, and by group I mean my family.
Our family is a party of 7, which I know doesn’t sound huge but let me tell you the struggle can be REAL. Four of the seven of us are adults which leaves the rest of the group to two year olds and a 5 year old. Typing that makes me tired. Trying to make 7 people happy at all times might one of the most exhausting things ever…like ever.
So if you’re planning on a group vaca here are some of my tips and tricks:
Dinning reservations: Finding dinning for a party of 7 sometimes is next to impossible so sometimes you have use a little magic. Usually when I type in party of 7 I get super late times which does not go well with 3 kids (or 4 hangry adults). If you find yourself having this issue too, try separating the party. Find a reservation for a party of 4 and another around the same time (usually reservations are with in 5-10 min of one another) for the remaining members of you party. Book both reservations and remain calm. Now you have a couple options 1. Leave it the way it is, show up for your reservations and ask to have the reservations merged or tables put together (you may need to wait a couple extra minutes to be seated). 2. Call dinning and see if they can do step one for you. 3. Keep checking for dining reservations to open up and snatch one for the exact number of guests in your party.
Some of our favorite Disney Dinning experiences for larger parties: Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria, Garden Grill, Teppan Edo, Chefs de France, and Chef Mickeys.
Restaurants that are hard to enjoy with large parties: Artist Point, California Grill, Le Cellier Steakhouse, Monsieur Paul, and Jiko.
Flying: We always fly Southwest for 3 reasons: 1. Cheap flights 2. No luggage fees (2 per a ticket) 3. FAMILY BOARDING (for families with children 6 and under).
Resorts: I highly recommend staying on Disney property when traveling with a group and small children. Since traveling with a group we have stayed at several different resorts but our favorite by far has been Wilderness Lodge! I cannot say enough great things about Wilderness Lodge especially for groups.
The food is amazing for any and every meal (and there are so many options). Whispering Canyon Cafe, Roaring Fork, and Artist Point, but the place that takes the cake for me and my family, Geyser Point Bar & Grill. We love overlooking Seven Seas Lagoon while enjoying their Portobello Quinoa salad and an adult beverage. Not to mention is sits right in between the resorts two pools and no reservation is needed!
Transportation is key. I love how easy it is to get to the parks from Wilderness Lodge which is one of the BIGGEST factors in picking a resort when traveling with my kids. The buses are usually on a 20 min schedule and always seem to be prompt each time we stay there. But the best transportation offered at Wilderness, the boat to Magic Kingdom! With 3 kids we don’t travel light, being able to push the stroller right on to the boat with out having to take everything out of the stroller, hold a kid, fold the stroller, carry the stroller and the kid, awkwardly shove past people with the massive stroller and the kid and your massive bag… it really truly does make my life as a Disney Mom so much easier. Bless you Wilderness Lodge boats … you da best
The Pools: Now I’ve been to Disney a lot and have stayed/visited most of the resorts and and swam in many pools but having kids really puts a dent in your relaxing pool time which means having a kid friendly pool is EVERYTHING (and a good pool bar, refer back to bullet point 1). Wilderness lodge has 2 amazing pools along with a kid pool/play area and a water slide. DOES IT GET ANY BETTER!? Oh it does, the kid pool is fenced in and has its own life guard on duty (insert emoji praise Jesus hands) which is also conveniently located next to the hot tubs (genius), so mommy can get her margarita and hot tub on while the kids are just a few yards away having the time of their lives. Im happy, their happy, and thats what they call Disney magic.
Last but not least, the room accommodations for large parties. Wilderness Lodge really is the best for room options when it comes to traveling with numerous people. There are so many options from conjoining rooms, to multiple room villas, or rent your own cabin. You do you and Wilderness Lodge will accommodate.
Moral of the story: Wilderness Lodge is my favorite and you need to stay on Disney property when traveling with lots of people.
Something I struggle with when planning our family vacation is FOMO. I am so scared someone is going to miss something or not going to get to do/see/eat/ride everything they want! Keeping everyone content and happy is easily the hardest part of traveling in large groups especially when the kids are little and you want to keep the group together. Planning is obviously a huge part of going to Disney but make sure everyone tells you their top expectations for each day: What characters do you want to see, what rides are your must do’s. But if you’re the magic maker of your group don’t forget about your wants and needs too! Even if you are like me and have been hundreds of times, you still need to get your favorites on too (gotta keep the magic alive).