When I was younger I always went to Disney World with my family. The group was mixed depending on the trip. It was almost never just my parents and my sister. Often my grand mother, cousins, aunt, childhood friend, or brother in law was also along for the ride. I think the smallest group we ever had was five people.
On my last trip it was just my wife and I. That leads me to ask the question: Is it better to go to Disney with a group or not?
There are pros and cons to both. Logistics are easier without the group. Less time is wasted without the group. Dining is easier without the group. Other than those three things, the group tends to win out.
Why is that?
Keep in mind that Disney was planed with families in mind. It was designed with a group mentality. You might not notice this until you visit Disney World in a group. Here are some areas where the group is better:
Dinner Shows and Character Dining: When there are just two of you these are ok. When there is a group of you they go beyond that. When one person gets picked on by a character or picked to do something in a dinner show, it can be funny. If it was just my wife it wouldn’t be that funny because she doesn’t like those things. Even if they left her alone she wouldn’t like it because she’d be left alone if I got invited to do something interactive. She doesn’t even like it when I volunteer to do something like that. Now put yourself in the group. For every person in the group it makes it that much better. Each person acts as a multiplier. It goes from amusing, to funny, to outrageous. Plus years later the group can reminisce about it. It’s not that easy to reminisce if you only have two people involved.
Ride Photos: The best ride photos involve the group. Two of the best I’ve ever scene involve were group photos. My wife and I had one funny one from our last trip. What made it funny were all the other people in it. We didn’t even know them but they were all so whacky it ended up being a great photo.
Flexibility: You might wonder how a group could be flexible. Look outside the box. A group and fracture into small groups if there are people who don’t want to do something. Think about it. If a bunch of people don’t want to go on the teacups, they don’t have to. The people who want to, can without having to do something alone. Everyone else can take a break or go do something else. Then you can all meet up after. There is also the peer pressure thing. The lone man out will tend to cave if everyone else wants to do something.
Pictures: Not ride photos but pictures. They tend to be better with more people. When you think about that it is because if you take a bad photo, you won’t standout as much in a group. Plus they help people remember. The picture isn’t really for you it’s for everyone.
It wasn't overly exciting. It didn't fit into the theming of any of the lands. It had an insanely slow load time. Handicapped people had an awful time trying to ride it. However, few people who rode the skyway disliked it. The view you got was second to none. The photos you could get from the skyway were amazing.
