Hi Kristina,
Welcome to planDisney, and greetings from a fellow Disney-planner with a party of seven! With five kiddos, my husband and I are used to navigating the parks with a larger group, and I'd be happy to help you!
First, please don't feel like you
have to split into two smaller groups to search for
dining reservations. I recently booked several meals for our entire party of seven together! The only time you'll want to split into two smaller groups is if you don't find availability for your preferred restaurant or time. If that's the case, you'll want to have another Guest within your party book one reservation while you book the other. Aim for time slots near each other, then once you arrive, you'll simply want to tell the Cast Member that you're traveling together and would like to be seated together or at least nearby. While these requests are not guaranteed and may require a longer wait time, I've always found the Cast Members to do their best to accommodate Guests' wishes.
To share all of your plans with your fellow travelers, you'll want to make sure you
link together via the Family & Friends list within My Disney Experience. That will allow you to see any dining reservations, make
Disney Genie+ and
Individual Lightning Lane selections together, join virtual queues, and share
Disney PhotoPass photos. In fact, did you know that when just one of you purchases
Memory Maker, you'll be able to view, share, and download the photos and videos collected by up to 25 fellow Mouseketeers on your
Family & Friends list? That's a great way to keep the memories of your trip alive for years to come
and save some money!
Thanks so much for stopping by planDisney, Kristina! I'm sending pixie dust that your dining reservations work out perfectly, and I hope that you and your entire crew have a truly magical vacation this
holiday season!
Missy