Hi Amy!
Welcome to planDisney! That sounds like a party! How fun!
First things first, let’s talk about your
Lightning Lane booking window. If you’re staying at a
Disney World resort or select good neighbor hotel, your booking window for your entire trip will open at 7 AM Eastern, 7 days prior to your resort check-in date.
If you’re staying off property, your booking window will be based on your ticket type. If you have date-based tickets, you’ll be able to book your Lightning Lanes for your entire trip beginning at 7 AM Eastern, 3 days prior to the start date of your ticket. If your ticket is not date-based, you’ll be able to book your Lightning Lanes at 7 AM Eastern, 3 days prior to the specific park day (in which case you’ll have separate booking windows).
You can purchase and book Lightning Lanes for up to 20 people at a time, so your group of 16 will work! It’s good to note that Lightning Lanes are pending availability, though. So, if you’re having a hard time finding available Lightning Lanes for the whole group on your park day, it might help to split up the group for some attractions.
Before your booking window opens, make sure your entire travel party is linked via the
Family & Friends List. That way, you’ll be able to select everyone in your group when choosing your Lightning Lane pre-selections.
Once your booking window opens, if you're able to book Lightning Lanes for every day of your trip, I recommend starting with the end of your trip, then working your way backward. That will give you a better chance of snagging the harder-to-get Lightning Lanes later on in your trip!
I hope that helps! If you have any other questions, feel free to come back and visit us.
Jenn J.