Multi Generational Disney Planning About This Page:

[pbwhite]

We're heading to Disney in October with our kids (8 & 11), and my in-laws (70+). Wondering if there are any tips for hitting the parks with the whole group and/or ideas for creating the best trip for all. The in-laws are in good shape, and won't mind walking a fair bit, albeit a little slower that the kids.

We'll be using Disney transportation to/from POP, and have adjoining rooms, so we can go to the parks at different times, and use cell phones to connect, but wondered if there were any other tips - like, say, while the younger crew is in line for Soarin' or Rock 'n Roller Coaster - the grandparents should visit X or go to Y to wait for the others.

None of us have visited Disney in the last 20 years - though I'm a plan-o-holic so it kind of feels like I have :-) - so we don't really know what to expect.

[ferrazalves]

Hi,
We've been at Disney with my daughter and niece together with my mother and sister in law. It was great, but we needed to slow a bit.
We planned meals together - booked ADR's at TS restaurants where we could get seated. Epcot was the most difficult park to visit together - a lot of walking. We divided our group and while we were going to the rides, my mother enjoyed World Show Case. We had a meal together - so we met at the restaurant. She had a lot of fun, so do we.
The others parks were easier to visit together - smaller layouts. At MK we also divided our group and she returned to the resort to rest in the afternoon after our lunch together.

[3princesses & grumpy]

I would think the first thing to find out is whether they are going to want to do a lot of the rides or which ones they might be interested in.

My DD19 visited with a friend and her friend's grandparents, who are in their 70's. The grandparents are in good shape, but don't like riding a lot of rides. The "Grans", as we call them also wanted a later start to their day because they wanted to spend time at the resort before going into the parks.

DD and her friend hit the parks at rope drop, rode as many rides as they could, and met up with the Grans for lunch. That way, DD was able to ride a lot of the rides the Grans didn't want to. The afternoon was for experiencing shows and rides as a group. After eating dinner together, the Grans sometimes opted to return to the room early to unwind before bedtime.

No matter how you plan, you're most likely going to have to take it a little slower than if it was just your immediate family. And remember that sometimes taking it slower is not a bad thing.

[JoanneS]

We went to WDW with my FIL and learned that he was so much slower than the kids that they could run ahead and do a ride before Grandpa got to the attraction. He refused to use an ECV and couldn't be in the parks for more than a couple of hours before he was worn out. I wish I had known in advance so I could either warn the children, or warn Grandpa that kids get cranky when forced to leave the park early so Grandpa can take a nap. You should discuss travelling styles with your family and make some contingency plans.

Also, if you can, take a photo of grandparents and kids on Dumbo. you certainly won't regret it. Grandpa treasures that photo above all else. I think it's because it's such an iconic attraction it makes the photo all that more special to him.

[WDW Vet]

I do a good amount of multi generational bookings as many of my old clients children hav children of their own so it's really fun for me. The best advice is keep it simple and make a list of what attractions is a must do. Anything else you get to is a bonus.

Also break off from each other. Let the inlaws enjoy some time together and your family can attack the rides if the inlaws rather not. There are so many great "attractions" that everyone will enjoy together. Also there are attractions that I call "resting attractions". Many of the shows like Enchanted Tiki Room at MK or Its Tough To Be A Bug at AK are examples. Shows like those get you out of the sun and get everyone seated for a recharge so fit them in when needed.

Also let them take the kids so they can have quality time with the grandkids which I know they'll cherish. Have a great time!

[Dave Marx]

I like to keep the "must do as an entire group" activities to a minimum - say, 2 meals a day. After that, just try to facilitate the plans of 2-3 sub-groups.

Obviously, if everyone is due at an in-park meal, then everyone should plan to be in the same park for most of the day - otherwise someone isn't getting good value from their admission, or traveling too much.

So... "Here's where we're going to be. When do you want to arrive, when do you want to leave, do you want to spend some time enjoying the resort (perhaps an afternoon break), is there someplace else you also want to visit today?"

Try to get everyone in the group to name one or two "must do" attractions at each park, then see where they converge, and where they diverge - you may be able to organize a part of the day where everyone is together. If that works, try to arrange it so you only have to meet-up once - too many diverge-converge attempts is just asking for trouble and wasted time. For example, if you meet for lunch, see if you can then do the "all group" attractions right after lunch.

For any rendezvous, pick a very easy-to-find, well-known location, but also pay attention to parade schedules, to be sure everyone really can reach that spot. Be specific "Just to the left of the entrance of It's a Small World." On a crowded day, missing the spot by 20 feet can be as good as a mile.

Be sure everyone communicates any schedule changes during the course of the day. Have a basic plan - possibly, send a text rather than a voice message, as it can sometimes be some time before a voice mail shows up on a cell phone.

Same idea with "if we get separated." Have a plan. Disney will also help with lost children/adults - ask any cast member. Be sure everyone knows this.

[dolphin041599]

We went to DL with my mom and dad and DD last October. Mom and Dad often went back to the hotel much earlier than DD and I did. Not as much chances for meals or anything there, but we tried to encourage them to go off on their own.

Unfortunately, they'd never been so they stayed close to us until they were ready to leave. We did have fun, but we'd hoped they'd be a bit more adventerous on their own.

[pbwhite]

Thanks for all of the tips/ideas. I especially like the idea of being there for rope drop and meeting up for lunch and afternoon shows/rides.

[Sue M.]

Dave gave some good advice. My first question was why do you think they can't ride Sorin? It's a wonderful attraction they would prob. enjoy.

One of the great things of staying on site, is everyone can use the WDW transportation. So of one party wants to leave early they can, without everyone having to leave.

I'd have everyone look at all the park attractions to see what their must do's are. Passporter book has a description of each ride.

A subscription to touring plans.com IMO is well worth the cheap $10 cost and they have loads of info on Crowd Calendars- my fav. It maps out the best (lowest crowd) park to go to each day.
They also teach you how to tour each park- what order to hit each attraction, and use of fast pass so your wait times are minimal. I used them when I first started going to WDW, and it works. Now I've been a few times, I know which attractions to hit first off, to avoid their long wait times later.

So I would say, you don't have to be tied to the hip all day. Hit a few attractions together, then peruse your own interests and plan to meet up for a lunch, etc.
It is easiest to be in the same park, then you can meet up and then go your own way throughout the day.
Good point to keep in mind parades. It makes it difficult to get across parks.

Have a great time together.

[Harrisonsmeme]

Well, I'm not in my seventies, I'm 67 and I'll be there going strong with the rest of my family. There are rides that I can't ride because of my vertigo but I am happy resting (eating a Mickey bar) while the others ride. I don't go back to the resort early. The only thing I am doing different this year is I am not going to Islands of Adventure with them. I went in 2010 and wouldn't have missed seeing the architecture for anything. But there is nothing I want to ride so I have decided to take the day off. We'll see how I do in a few years!

[pbwhite]

Originally Posted by Sue M.

My first question was why do you think they can't ride Sorin?

No reason - was just using that as an example

I'd have everyone look at all the park attractions to see what their must do's are. Passporter book has a description of each ride.
A subscription to touring plans.com IMO is well worth the cheap $10 cost

Have both passporter and touring plans subscription! Both have been great for planning so far!

Good point to keep in mind parades. It makes it difficult to get across parks.

Thanks for the tips!

[Sue M.]

Looks like your well on your way for planning

[PixieMichele]

Remember that it's everyone's vacation. I remember for my 16th birthday my entire family on my Dad's side decided to meet us in Disney World to celebrate. It had been a long time since we'd all seen each other and we were all coming from different states. One aunt was adamant we were all going to do every single thing together. It wasn't only suffocating but frustrating trying to get 20+ people sitting next to each other on every single ride, etc. Not to mention half the things we were forced to do we had no interest in.

Park maps and a pre-Disney party are a good way to start. When we travel with my husbands family every other year we do a Disney planning night. We throw the planning DVD into the player (even though we all have it memorized, it makes for nice background noise) and get out the park maps and start making our "top 10 to do" lists and then we compile them all and make a quasi touring plan with our meals worked in. Basically it makes the kids (6 nieces and nephews) learn that they won't get to do to every single thing they want to do exactly when they want to do it, that it's everyone's trip and we have to respect each others opinions.
My 10 year old step-son is a daredevil. He wants to ride all the big stuff over and over again while my niece and nephew still won't try Space Mountain. It's not fair for 4 people to sit and wait and do nothing while 2 people ride so we've learned it's ok to separate so everyone can enjoy the parks in their way and then meet up. Sometimes it doesn't mean keeping completely different touring plans or schedules but rather an "i'll be in the gift shop" or "we'll be on Carousel of Progress or the People Mover while you're on Space Mountain".
Meals are a great time to meet up and swap stories and see what everyone has done. We almost always start out the day in the parks together and tour together for a while but it's never long before the "I want to ride this" requests start and we head different directions.
Be flexible and realize that your ideal touring plan isn't ideal for everyone and accommodate all of your family members needs and wants and you'll be just fine. It's ok to separate, it doesn't make you a bad family...it makes you a smart one! Reconvene at meal time, pick meeting places and set times to check-in and be sure kids know how to identify cast members if they become separated from the adults.
Don't sweat the small stuff you'll have a great time! Glancing at the park maps and seeing where everyone's interests lie will help you get started in the right direction.

[Disnutty]

There are two big issues that make your trip slightly different than what some of the answers you are receiving from this forum. First you and your in-laws have not been to Disney in over 20 years and there is now so much more to see and do compared to the last time you were there so you need to allow for being very flexible in meeting your daily park itinerary. Secondly, this will be the first time your children have visited Disney and you want it to be very special for them and for you, so planning the trip around giving your children some Disney magic is extremely important and should be the focal point of the trip. You did not say how long you will be visiting but I assume it will be for more than one night. It will make a difference as to what you do and how you plan if you are staying for say three or more days compared to just one day. Please post how many days you will be at Disney so the forum can give you a better idea of how to plan your park visits. No matter how long you are visiting the best tip you will have is that you should become very familiar with FASTPASS and you should use FASTPASS whenever possible.
You all are in for a very big surprise as to just how big a place WDW has become and thus how this will impact your children and your in-laws Traveling with in-laws who have not been to Disney in over 20 years (or maybe longer) needs a lot of pre planning and understanding. It is assumed that your in-laws will not have any idea of what Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios or even today’s EPCOT is all about, thus they will in all likelihood want to be right by your side the entire time they are in the parks, as they will probably not have any idea of where to go or what to do without your input and guidance. This is quite different than families that have been to Disney before, as someone from a family that have been to the parks and knows the park and resorts layouts can easily put a plan in place for the in-law at the spur of the moment as well as the days plan done in advance. But because it will be almost like your first time at Disney, it will be much more difficult to suggest a plan for your in-laws when they decide that they are not going to ride a specific attraction or they need to sit down and rest their legs for a while. This is something that you and your DH need to discuss with each other and then discuss with your in-laws in great detail before you go on the trip. You need to determine if the in-laws want to be with you the entire time or if they are okay with just meeting up with you for a few hours of touring or for a meal and then a specific ride or parade and or if they are okay with leaving a park on their own and meeting up with you later at the resort.
Once you work out if they will be by your side the entire time or if they are okay with just meeting just part of the touring plan then the planning can get fine tuned. You may find that although everyone is fine with being together all day, that you will need to change that idea the next day because it is just too difficult for everyone to remain as a group. My advice is that you and DH have a very serious discussion with your in-laws about the expatiations of going to Disney. Your pre plan will be very different if your in-law are the type A personalities with a lot of energy as compared to the in-laws that have slowed down over the years and cannot make a full day of touring a Disney park even if they think they can. Take the time to have a long discussion with DH and then the in-laws to coordinate what is expected of each other. Once this is done, then tweaking your daily tour plan will become much easier and this forum will have a lot of ideas that will help give you and your family a lot of Disney Magic.

[pbwhite]

Thanks for the detailed response. I'm a planning nut, and I am the DH
We'll be there for 9 days with the first and last travel days.
No park hopper, and we have 8 days of tickets, with plans to arrive on day one and hang at the resort (POP), until dinner at O'hana.
Using touring plans, I have planned out our suggested itinerary.
Great idea to chat with the in-laws regarding their feelings about visiting the parks prior to planning everything out!

Brian