Possible 2023 Trip with 17 people

[disfan458]

The only issue I can possibly foresee is my sister pulling out because her job makes it hard to use her vacation time. Once we set the final dates and agree on a resort, everyone will be all in

 

[crisi]

It won't save her money if she has to move the whole trip due to illness and is out the entire amount. Make sure to look into trip insurance for timeshare rentals and what it will cover.

 

[crisi]

The only issue I can possibly foresee is my sister pulling out because her job makes it hard to use her vacation time. Once we set the final dates and agree on a resort, everyone will be all in

Yeah, everyone was all in on my trips as well. But you can't plan for cancer or death. And turns out pregnancy can be a lot harder to plan than people think it is.

 

[Chuck S]

I did a group of 16 once. Stayed at OKW, did not get a Grand Villa. We had 2- 2 bedroom lockoff units and a one bedroom unit.

Breakdown was:
Two Bedroom #1: Grandma, Grandpa and 10yo Grandson were in the side with King bed, grandson slept on fold out. His parents slept in the studio part.
Two bedroom #2: Mom, Dad and 4 kids (Incl 1 infant) on King side. Another Mom and Dad and their kid in that studio part.
One bedroom unit: Myself and a brother to one of the parents. We could have made do in a studio, but I wanted the jacuzzi and washer/dryer. My points, my call.

For many, it was their first WDW trip. It was nice, we did break into groups some of the time, but usually went to the same park that day. Trying to do stuff all together in one big group is like herding cats. Give everyone their space, give them all the info, plan a couple nice meals together, pick a park of the day, then let each sub group do whatever they want for fastpasses, meet & greets and so forth, or you will drive each other crazy. Oh, and make sure each family group has an EASY to understand guidebook with basic info, don;t throw too bog them down with TOO MUCH info, the condensed version is good. If you get too detailed a guide book for first time visitors, they are like deer in headlights. Most planning, like picking a restaurant and so forth, will likely be left to you, unless they are also experienced Mouseketeers. Just get an idea of their budget needs and restraints, and ask the kids their favorite characters, when planning character meals.

We grilled at the pool one night (we had a car for Publix runs). We did 8 people at Cindy's breakfast, it was nice, a big group at Prime Time, (they fit us all in one room) and didn't plan a meal at AK, everyone did their own thing. At EPCOT, part of the group did Chefs de France, the other part wanted pasta and did Tutto Italia. As always, book as much as far out as possible. Mosts breakfast were in the rooms, or coffee and danish in the parks.

Good luck!

 

[KBoopaloo]

I've done three trips like this - one with 15 people, one with 13 and one with 16. All variations of the same group. Each time we've booked (2) Two Bedrooms and (1) Studio. With the larger two groups we did Kidani Village to get the extra bathroom in the 2 bedrooms. With the slightly smaller group we stayed at BWV and even though the group was smaller, I think we did miss having that extra bathroom.

You know your family dynamic best so I won't give you advice on how to spread things out. You'll get lots of advice about each family unit having their own villa but we've always mixed and matched and it has been fine (we are 5 individual family groups) but we spend a lot of time together and know what to expect from each other. There are always some irritations that will come up having that many people traveling together but we've loved all of our large trips and are hoping to do another in 2021. Also make expectations clear and be sure that if some people are going to have to sleep on sleep sofa type surfaces that they are 100% okay with that - deciding who gets that spot is always our trickiest decision!

 

[jkips]

I would work with a broker to rent the points. If you give them the details a bit over 11 months out they’ll have the DVC owners lined up to get you exactly what you want when they become available. Given the size of the party and the number of rooms involved its going to be easiest to just have one point of contact for the planning.

 

[disfan458]

Definitely plan to go with a broker. And once we figure out the dates, hoping for Mardi Gras week, last week in Feburary or 2023,as we are from southeast Lousiana and the kids will have that entire week off. And then we just have to pick a resort and 2 backups. Always have a backup.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

If you give them the details a bit over 11 months out they’ll have the DVC owners lined up to get you exactly what you want when they become available.

This is really a myth. It is extraordinarily rare, given the demand for points, that they hold owners for weeks while other requests come in, or that owners wait like that.

Especially for a request requiring multiple owners, which this likely will.

 

[MICKIMINI]

MK resort for access to the monorail including Copper Creek (boat to MK) so you can occasionally (for your sanity) escape to another resort even just for coffee...or something stronger. That is a big group and Grandma is obviously a saint!

 

[Fred M]

Trying to do stuff all together in one big group is like herding cats. Give everyone their space, give them all the info, plan a couple nice meals together, pick a park of the day, then let each sub group do whatever they want for fastpasses, meet & greets and so forth, or you will drive each other crazy.

This is the best advice! My wife is one of 10 kids. Her mom is in great health and there are 24 grandkids right now, ranging from 17 to 2. Our first WDW trip was with 5 of her brothers and sisters and it was a group of 21. We did separate lodging (thank God!) but planning any meal, attraction, meet and greet was the worst.

The only saving grace was that most everyone was pretty good at planning their own WDW experience. If there is a segment of the family that doesn’t like to plan, you should address whether they expect you plan for them or if that’s something you even want to do for them. Sometimes the non-planners (like my lovely wife) expect other family members to automatically include them in their plans. Address it early before there is a 21 person meltdown over who is doing what.

 

[BillPA]

Our largest group was 32 back in 1999. 3 2 BR and 3 studios, all at OKW. It was a blast, but I would not try to organize a trip of that size now. Good luck and have a GREAT trip.

 

[Debbie Jean]

Going through a point broker, I would get in touch ASAP for their help. Looking at your dates, last week in February for a grand villa and two bedroom, you are looking at renting at least 1200 points. Finding people with that many or cobbling it together may be the biggest challenge. Brokers have a boatload of experience doing just this type of thing so even though your trip isn't until 2023, maybe they could offer some guidance on how to organize the trip.

Good luck with your planning!