Large Group (20) About This Page:

[MagicMickey]

I am taking my varsity softball team to Disney for spring training from March 20-25. I do not get our practice schedule until Feb 7 and I am a tad bit concerned that we will never get a P.S. for a group of 20 that close to the trip. Has any one ever traveled with a group this big and how was seating at resturants? Any info anyone would have about traveling with such a large group, please chime in!

[WillCAD]

I've never travelled with a group that big, but I do have a suggestion: limit your sit-down meals and eat mostly counter service. It's far easier to handle a large group with counter service; everybody orders and pays for their own meals, no waitstaff to confuse or overwhelm, and the whole group gets in and out much faster.

For the sit-downs, I recommend the buffets for the easiest experience. Again, at a buffet, you have maximum variety to satisfy everyone in the group, the waitstaff only has to keep drinks straight, not entire meals, you eat as soon as you are seated, and everybody gets the same bill so there's no confusion.

As to getting PS on short notice, I don't have any tips other than trying for them as soon as you get your schedule. The earlier you call, the more likely you will be to get the time you want.

[Luv4My4]

Definitely go with the counter-service and buffet meals. On our last trip we went with members of our extended family and there were 15 of us. The only PS meal we did was Chef Mickey character breakfast. Otherwise, we ate at counter-service restaurants and Biergarten in Germany which is a buffet (this was very nice, the food was good and they have a show intermittently throughout the day and there was virtually no wait I would recommend it ). Have a great time!

[Dave Marx]

Very few restaurants accept PS for a group of this size. In most cases, if you ask for a PS for 20, you'll be immediately transferred to the Group Dining department.

At group dining, except for those few restaurants that do take PS for 20, you'll be expected to make a firm *reservation* and place a nonrefundable deposit. That's a big price to pay, just to have everyone seated in the same place.

So, definitely keep things simple. Go counter service wherever possible, and for restaurants that take PS, break your group of 20 down into smaller pieces (tables for 6 or 8), with each PS naming a different chaparone. They won't be able to guarantee that the various tables will be close to each other, but you can certainly request that they do that when you arrive at the podium.

[BabieeMelly]

I went to Disney on my JHS Senior Trip. There were around 1000 seniors so we all split up. My school had different programs, and I was in the Cig program. It was supposedly the most "exclusive" so there were only 100 of us, and only about 60 went on the trip. Still, that was 60 kids plus chaperones and teachers! The only sit-down meals we did were Hollywood and Vine for the Fantasmic Dinner Package and ESPN Zone at Universal CityWalk. We also went in March which was a great time of year. For Hollywood and Vine my teacher just called at the 90-day mark and they were very efficient at seating us!

[lindawdw]

Counter service and buffets are definitely the way to go with that large of a group. We went with a group of 14 during the Christmas week one year and they broke our group into three tables most of the time and couldn't guarantee we would even be sitting close to each other. The buffets offer a fixed price which makes it a lot easier when you have to pay the bill and counter service everyone can order on their own.