Disney World is magic to little children. With princesses, exciting rides, castles, and the chance to meet their favorite characters straight out of the screen, there is no doubt your little ones will have a fantastic time with tickets to Disney World theme parks. But Disney is not just for the young ones in your family. A Disney World vacation offers fun for the whole family and can be the perfect place for a multigenerational family reunion.

However, planning the perfect family reunion at Disney World comes with some challenges. There are so many activities, dining experiences, and events available that careful planning is essential to ensure your trip is stress-free and magical for everyone, including the one who plans it all!

Here are some helpful tips for making your next family reunion vacation enjoyable for all ages.

Planning a family reunion at Disney World for the whole extended family can feel like an overwhelming task. Whether it is your first trip to Disney or you’re a theme park regular, the most straightforward tip to make organizing a family reunion trip a breeze is using a travel agent or planner. At Get Away Today, we specialize in first time visits and extended family Walt Disney World Resort vacations.

Our travel agents know all the details for creating the best Disney World vacation packages and can walk you through the process. From choosing the best hotels for a family reunion, selecting the right restaurants for big group meals, to any day-to-day scheduling questions, you’ll find a friend in your Get Away Today travel agent.

Walt Disney World Resort vacation packages come with many different options, and you may need help selecting the right one for your family vacation. If your family likes to go-go-go, consider including Park Hopper tickets that allow access to multiple parks in a day.

If the grandparents are foodies, we can help you with Disney Dining Plans. If you have water lovers in the family, you may want to add access to Disney’s water parks. We also recommend choosing the longest length ticket as possible to give everyone the most flexibility. It typically doesn’t cost much more to add an extra day or two, and having that peace of mind that you “could” go if you want to, is worth it.

No matter your budget, you should be able to find Disney resort accommodations to fit your family vacation. Disney Resort Hotels allow easy access to the theme parks with resort free transportation included between your hotel and the theme parks.

Staying at a resort hotel will have the bonus of fun amenities like swimming pools, additional character dining options, possible park views, shops and more. Booking adjoining rooms makes it easy for everyone to keep an eye on children while allowing for a bit of privacy and separation.

For larger family groups, consider booking a Deluxe Villa Resort that offers villas with multiple bedrooms and home-away-from-home additions, including kitchens and washing machines.

Our team suggests looking into these Walt Disney World Resort hotels with larger groups.

Sleeps up to 6 Guests

• Value resorts including Disney’s Art of Animation and Disney's All-Star Music Resort
• Moderate resort, Cabins at Fort Wilderness

Sleeps up to 8 Guests

• Moderate resort Disney's Coronado Springs and Disney’s BoardWalk Inn can sleep up to 9 guests
• Deluxe resort including Disney’s Beach Club, Disney’s Polynesian Village

Sleeps up to 12 Guests

• Deluxe resorts including Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, Disney’s Contemporary, Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, and Wilderness Lodge

During the actual family reunion, we’re sure you’ll want to share your Disney Plans with the entire family. My DIsney Experience app allows you to share certain plans with people in your extended group.

1. Make sure everyone has the app and has linked their tickets and reservation information.
2. Tap on the “My Family & Friends” List tab.
3. Tap “+Add a Guest” and enter the reservation number and the last name or you can enter their name and email address.
4. Select the option to invite the Guest to connect and they will receive an email with your request. Once they accept, you can control what information and plans you share with them (like dining, entertainment, etc.)

As you add plans to your days on the My Disney Experience app, be sure to also share your plans—find their name on your “My Family & Friends” list and click “Update” and then “Save.” If you’re both sharing plans with each other you should now see them listed.

Matchy-Matchy. You’ll see matching or coordinating shirts everywhere at Disney! It’s so much fun to match each other and a lot easier to stay together as a group. A few of our favorite Disney group t-shirts can be found here.

Make Dining Reservations in Advance. Disney World dining experiences, especially popular character dining like Cinderella’s Royal Table or Topolino’s Terrace, book up fast! Traveling with a big family group makes getting reservations booked well in advance even more critical.

For most resort restaurants, reservations can be made up to 60 days before your visit. Family travel can be hectic, so it’s also important not to overbook the group. Consider making one restaurant reservation per day, or even every other day, with the whole family while allowing for time to split up and enjoy some of Disney’s other quick-service dining options.

When you book your Walt Disney World Resort package with Get Away Today, you’ll get our concierge service included, which means we’ll send you reminders when it’s time to start making those coveted dining reservations. We’ll also give you our best tips and favorite restaurant recommendations.

Schedule Each Day and Include Downtime. With children, parents, and grandparents all vacationing together, everyone will have their own priorities. Before making a detailed schedule for the trip, make sure to ask everyone for their wish list. If Mom really wants to see the fireworks display and Grandpa has to hit up the Droid Depot, you will want to ensure there’s time for all of the “must-dos.” Create a daily itinerary with events, activities, attractions and any reserved dining experiences. However, try to hold back on accounting for every moment. The most successful family vacations keep plans flexible and include plenty of downtime.

If you’re traveling with small children who are used to daily naps, be sure to account for these in the schedule. Nap time may be the perfect time for larger groups to divide and conquer. While many rides and attractions can be enjoyed by everyone as a family, others have height requirements that will limit riders to older children and adults.

There is so much to discover at Walt Disney World. While small children find themselves swept up in all of the magic, there are rides, special events, shopping, dining, and sports activities perfect for older kids and adults of all ages. With careful planning, you can have an amazing and memorable family reunion at “The Most Magical Place on Earth.” Get your free quote at getawaytoday.com or call our vacation experts at 855-GET-AWAY