Unless every member of the large party has memorized every detail regarding Disney World along with having years of park-going experience, eventually one member will get stuck somewhere. I did say that splitting up was the answer to a lot of the problems inherent in large groups with an agreed upon meeting place. However, a line may be longer than normal or a group may find themselves further away than they intended to be from the meeting spot causing missed meeting or general confusion in the massive crowds.
Using some form of communication may seem to be advisable at this point. Such as a cell phone, with at least one person in each separate group having one. This can work very well. However, Disney is known for a continual soundtrack in addition to the noise created by the guests visiting. It won’t be heard. If it is heard, it will be because it’s in a place where having a ring go off would be rude. A vibrate feature may help here, if the phone carrier isn’t on a ride that might mask the vibrations, such as Star Tours.
That isn’t to say that phones won’t work as an option for coordination. Especially if a text feature is used.
One of the better ways to solve the missed meeting problem is to make sure the meeting place isn’t time sensitive. Depending on the others in the party, a dinner reservation usually isn’t the best choice without a lot of time padding. A large icon or easily found shop is usually a better choice with a time range rather than asking that everyone get there on the dot.
The sorcerer’s hat between 1-1:30 is the sort of meeting arrangements that should be made. Usually, a central area rather than one on either extreme side of the park is best. However, when it comes to exactly where at the sorcerer’s hat, be as specific as possible. Agree on a specific side or particular bench. I know from personal experience that it can be easy to pass the person waiting for the rest of the group for up to an hour because the meeting place was too vague.
Lastly, when splitting up, try to be conscientious to the rest of the party and get to the agreed upon place in a timely manner.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Big Groups and World Wars I
Disney World is huge, so huge in fact that it has no problem accommodating large groups. It even encourages them with their Grand Gatherings for groups of eight or more. Large groups, however can end up falling apart and leading to disgruntled and crabby members of the group if not planned carefully.
While a small group can get away with the bare minimal planning, big groups by their nature are already sheer chaos. This doesn’t mean you have to go to the extent of mapping out all possible logistics for your vacation. Just keep a few tips in mind each day as you set out.
There will disagreements. There will be attractions some can’t go on because of size restrictions or because they don’t want to go on them. These are the members to take into consideration first. It’s no fun at all if a couple people have to spend all day every day just waiting for people to get off a ride. Forcing a young child not ready for the Tower of Terror to go on it so that someone doesn’t have to miss out staying with the child is not a solution. Waiting on a bench for an hour while everyone else is having fun isn’t the best solution either.
Sometimes the best solution is to agree to split up. While this may sound like it defeats the whole point of family togetherness or will make things chaotic, it actually won’t. It will most likely foster family togetherness by avoiding grumpiness, irritability and the desire to kill each other. That isn’t to say that there aren’t moments for bonding at Disney World. They are every where, if the party is in the proper mood and spirit of things.
So talk about the attractions before you go and then again over breakfast the morning you are visiting the Park. Then, set a time and place to meet back up after splitting up. Lunches are a good one for this. Also, make sure to be fair to everyone. No one person should be stuck on toddler duty the whole entire trip. Likewise, only responsible teens should be allowed to go on their own without an adult.
If you chose for a time not to split up, then make sure to use the child swap to your advantage. Go up to a Castmember and say you’d like to do a child swap. They will give out passes for the person who will stay with the kid who can’t ride and a few extras. Once the rest of the group returns, you hand off the child and get to skip most of the line to take a turn. The extra passes are for any one else in your party to accompany you so that you don’t have to ride along and feel like the odd one out. This is a good chance for anyone who went on it the first time to go again very quickly if they liked the ride.
I cannot emphasize enough that the one thing that will ruin a vacation at Disney World are temper flare-ups. Despite what commercials show, the size and nature of the World cultivates flare-ups very easily. If you think a bit of advice will avoid these clashes, then do not hesitate to use it.
While a small group can get away with the bare minimal planning, big groups by their nature are already sheer chaos. This doesn’t mean you have to go to the extent of mapping out all possible logistics for your vacation. Just keep a few tips in mind each day as you set out.
There will disagreements. There will be attractions some can’t go on because of size restrictions or because they don’t want to go on them. These are the members to take into consideration first. It’s no fun at all if a couple people have to spend all day every day just waiting for people to get off a ride. Forcing a young child not ready for the Tower of Terror to go on it so that someone doesn’t have to miss out staying with the child is not a solution. Waiting on a bench for an hour while everyone else is having fun isn’t the best solution either.
Sometimes the best solution is to agree to split up. While this may sound like it defeats the whole point of family togetherness or will make things chaotic, it actually won’t. It will most likely foster family togetherness by avoiding grumpiness, irritability and the desire to kill each other. That isn’t to say that there aren’t moments for bonding at Disney World. They are every where, if the party is in the proper mood and spirit of things.
So talk about the attractions before you go and then again over breakfast the morning you are visiting the Park. Then, set a time and place to meet back up after splitting up. Lunches are a good one for this. Also, make sure to be fair to everyone. No one person should be stuck on toddler duty the whole entire trip. Likewise, only responsible teens should be allowed to go on their own without an adult.
If you chose for a time not to split up, then make sure to use the child swap to your advantage. Go up to a Castmember and say you’d like to do a child swap. They will give out passes for the person who will stay with the kid who can’t ride and a few extras. Once the rest of the group returns, you hand off the child and get to skip most of the line to take a turn. The extra passes are for any one else in your party to accompany you so that you don’t have to ride along and feel like the odd one out. This is a good chance for anyone who went on it the first time to go again very quickly if they liked the ride.
I cannot emphasize enough that the one thing that will ruin a vacation at Disney World are temper flare-ups. Despite what commercials show, the size and nature of the World cultivates flare-ups very easily. If you think a bit of advice will avoid these clashes, then do not hesitate to use it.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Uncle Scrooge Would Be Proud
I appreciate it when the Travel Channel does their Season of Disney shows, especially when they show new ones. I was recently watching Disney on a Dime and couldn't help feeling that they missed a few things that would really have made the trip cheaper for the families.
Don't eat breakfast at the food court or restaurants if you are staying on-site. Character meals are the exception of course, but those get pricey and aren't conducive to being cheap at the parks. You'll save about $10 per person per day to bring breakfast items such as bagels or rolls with you. You can easily pack these items in your check-in luggage or if you are not using Disney's Magical Express pick them up en route to your resort.
Of course, you can't avoid eating in the parks or at your resort all the time and you may even want to splurge on a meal. Food is probably almost a third of the cost of a trip to Disney World. You may even be able to better afford your splurge if you cut costs during lunch and dinner. Portions are big. You can split them. The moderate and value resorts all have a whole pizza option in the food courts. For $16 you can feed up to five people, sometimes even six if some of them are kids with one of those pizzas. Which works out to be much cheaper than $11-$13 per person for a dinner in your resort's food court.
The refillable mug. A very big subject to broach on the Internet. You do so at your own risk. However, the gist of the refillable mug is that you buy it once for $12.99 (currently) and you get as many free refills at your resort for your length of stay. This is not only soft drinks, but includes tea, coffee and hot chocolate. At about $2 per drink purchased singly , this pays for itself and then some if you merely use it just twice during a three day-four night stay. The cups also become souvenirs that prove to be useful at home as they are very good insulated travel mugs. I also like to bring mine into the Parks themselves and fill them up with cold water at the drinking fountains. It saves me having to buy bottled water or having to suffer heat stroke plus dehydration at the same time.
Let's face it, if you are passed out from the heat or slowed down, you really aren't getting your admission's worth of the Park are you? The admission alone is another third of the cost and the one Disney doesn't usually discount. You want to try to milk that for all it's worth. Being ill is not the way to do it.
Don't eat breakfast at the food court or restaurants if you are staying on-site. Character meals are the exception of course, but those get pricey and aren't conducive to being cheap at the parks. You'll save about $10 per person per day to bring breakfast items such as bagels or rolls with you. You can easily pack these items in your check-in luggage or if you are not using Disney's Magical Express pick them up en route to your resort.
Of course, you can't avoid eating in the parks or at your resort all the time and you may even want to splurge on a meal. Food is probably almost a third of the cost of a trip to Disney World. You may even be able to better afford your splurge if you cut costs during lunch and dinner. Portions are big. You can split them. The moderate and value resorts all have a whole pizza option in the food courts. For $16 you can feed up to five people, sometimes even six if some of them are kids with one of those pizzas. Which works out to be much cheaper than $11-$13 per person for a dinner in your resort's food court.
The refillable mug. A very big subject to broach on the Internet. You do so at your own risk. However, the gist of the refillable mug is that you buy it once for $12.99 (currently) and you get as many free refills at your resort for your length of stay. This is not only soft drinks, but includes tea, coffee and hot chocolate. At about $2 per drink purchased singly , this pays for itself and then some if you merely use it just twice during a three day-four night stay. The cups also become souvenirs that prove to be useful at home as they are very good insulated travel mugs. I also like to bring mine into the Parks themselves and fill them up with cold water at the drinking fountains. It saves me having to buy bottled water or having to suffer heat stroke plus dehydration at the same time.
Let's face it, if you are passed out from the heat or slowed down, you really aren't getting your admission's worth of the Park are you? The admission alone is another third of the cost and the one Disney doesn't usually discount. You want to try to milk that for all it's worth. Being ill is not the way to do it.
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