Hello, Candace!
Welcome to planDisney with a great planning question. You are going to have a blast celebrating the
World’s Most Magical Celebration this summer! Traveling with a large group is so much fun because of all the memories you will make together as a group. Although the planning may require some extra work, it will all be worth it once the fun begins.
I have a few tips to make planning with large groups a bit easier. First, you will need a few assistants. I am the main planner for my large family trips, but I have 2 other members of the family who help me with the planning duties. We make sure that everyone in the group is connected to our
My Family & Friends list. This allows us to make
Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane selections for the group.
When you make your Genie+ selections, everyone in your group does not have to ride the same attraction. My family has thrill riders, low-thrill riders, and no thrill riders, and we assign someone to make Genie+ selections for that group as close to the same time as other groups. This will allow you to make plans for everyone at hopefully the same time. If everyone in your group wants to experience the same attraction, breaking your party up into smaller groups may help you in getting a Lightning Lane return time similar to the rest of your group.
I also want to suggest that with such a large group, you purchase a
Memory Maker, it will allow you to capture all the onboard ride photos and Character Meet and Greet photos as well as group photos. One thing that we always make sure to do is to get at least one large group photo in each theme park we visit. Once the fun starts, your group is sure to split off into smaller groups throughout the day. Having everyone sharing their My PhotoPass Photos within your Family & Friends list will allow them to upload their photos to your account. You will be able to download and share all your photos with everyone.
Another tip I would like to share with you when it comes to making your
Advanced Dining Reservations is that with a group this large, it may be impossible to get a reservation at a table service restaurant for 19, so I would suggest that you make your reservations for groups of 6. Since you can only hold one reservation at a time for a restaurant, you will need the help of your planners to make reservations close to the same time. When you check in with a Cast Member for your reservation, you can let them know the names of the other dining parties with you in case they can seat you close to each other.
I hope this helps with your planning and if you have any more questions before you arrive, please come back and see us again here at planDisney.
See ya real soon,
Andrea