Mother, Son, Giraffe, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Animal Kingdom, Savannah
  • On May 14, 2013
    Leanne Asked Note: This answer was provided prior to the change to planDisney and may still contain references to Disney Parks Moms Panel.

    Experiences, policies, pricing and other offerings are subject to change and may have changed since the date of this answer.

    Have booked 2 family suites at the AOA for early August 2013 with 4 adults and 5 kids. I have never been to DW with this many people before and needing some suggestions on a schedule for each park. Should we have time apart and when to have time together?

    Leanne,

    I think that Walt Disney World is great with such large groups because you can spend time together, AND apart.

    I would recommend that you plan out days that work something like this;

    • Have a daily meal as a large group once a day, or once every other day. That way you still feel connected. I like dinners, as it is a great way for everyone, kids included, to recount what they have seen and done since the last meal together. It also allows you to plan what comes next, and how you will break up your groups for the next day or two.
    • While I like to keep our nuclear family together, don't hesitate to have a day where you split up by a specific group. Boys go one way, girls go the other, for instance.
    • Another idea to consider is for two of the adults to take all the kids for the night while the other set of adults gets a nice dinner out, a spa treatment, or just gets to go have fun in the parks without having to concern themselves with wiping noses, cutting up food, or skipping the thrill rides.
    This really applies also in a fashion to how you tour a specific park. As you are making your way to a park in the morning, have everyone split up into two groups based on what ride is their favorite. Then plan a quick service lunch meet up midday to recap your fun, and split into two new groups for the afternoon. 

    BOTTOM LINE: As long as you do a good job of reminding kids what adult is in charge of them at ALL times, you can have fun mixing it up. 

    I am glad to go into more detail on ideas. Just write me back with dates of travel, specific interests, and we can plan some more!

    Have a magical vacation!

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Meet the Panelist: Doug, Indiana

I am one of the Dads on the planDisney Panel, and I love to help parents plan their vacation, with a focus on showing them how it can be fun for them too. I am also here to help Dads plan some nice surprises for the Moms in their life (they deserve it!). Learn More About Doug

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