PLANNING GROUP TRAVEL TO WALT DISNEY WORLD

To qualify as a Group or Youth Group at Walt Disney World you’ll need to book a minimum of 10 rooms at a Disney Resort hotel. There are a number of helpful tools that become available that make planning for a large group much easier than trying to book individual rooms.

As a travel consultant with Magical Vacations Travel, I specialize in group travel to Walt Disney World, I help my clients choose the perfect Disney World hotel, select the right ticket type, coordinate payments, and I provide expert support and guidance along the way.

Groups also have the option of planning special VIP events at Walt Disney World including private dining and fireworks dessert parties.

Types of Walt Disney World Groups

• Family reunions

• Youth groups and field trips

• Youth competitions held at Disney World (UCD / UDA Dance and Cheer Championships)

• runDisney Groups / Teams

• Corporate retreats

• Weddings

Planning for a large group at Walt Disney World can feel overwhelming. The first step is to decide on travel dates that work for everyone. If some families need slightly different travel dates, that’s no problem, they can arrive at a later date or check out early, but a minimum of 10 rooms must be maintained for the majority of the group reservation.

Walt Disney World Group Reservations

My group reservations include:

• At least 3 nights of hotel accommodations at a Walt Disney World Resort resort: choose from Value, Moderate, Deluxe and Deluxe Villa hotels.

• At least 10 rooms confirmed. If you need less than 10 rooms, that’s ok! We can still do fewer than 10 but the process will be slightly different.

Optional Add-ons:

• Theme Park tickets

• Ground transfers

• Private dining / dessert parties

Benefits of a Walt Disney World Group Reservation

Room Inventory

The benefit of booking a group package at Disney is the convenience of having special tools at your disposal. The best tool available is the ability to reserve multiple rooms at once.

For example, if you need 19 rooms, there’s no need to manually book them individually on the Walt Disney World website. That would be painstakingly slow and you won’t know how many rooms are even available at the hotel. Room inventory is not provided on the Disney World website.

I work with the Group Reservation team at Disney to pull the rooms you need from inventory all at once. If the resort doesn’t have the inventory you need, I’ll come back to you with options.

Payments

Each person can pay individually or you can pay as one large group.

Flexible Dates

Group reservations at Walt Disney World give your guests the flexibility to select different arrival and departure dates. Your group must maintain at least 10 room reservations to take advantage of group benefits.

Access to Special Dining Venues

Disney World has a number of special venues where your entire group can enjoy catered meals or even a fireworks dessert party. You’ll work with the Disney Meeting and Events Team to find private space for your entire group to enjoy time together.

Ground Transfers

Disney transportation between the resorts and theme parks is complimentary but private transfers around Disney property can be arranged for a fee. There are a number of airport transfer options ranging from motor coach shuttles, private car and van service, Uber/Lyft and rental cars/vans.

Disney does not offer complimentary transportation to ESPN Wide World of Sports, this is especially important to know if you’re coming with a youth group for a competition. I can help you arrange private transportation to ESPN.

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DISNEY WORLD GROUP TRAVEL FAQ

How many rooms do I need book to be considered a Group at Walt Disney World?

A minimum of 10 rooms is required to receive group privileges. If you fall below 10 rooms, the group status is removed but the remaining reservations will still be valid.

Does Disney World offer special discounts on groups?

No, unfortunately. Disney has discontinued group rates hotels and theme park tickets. You can still take advantage of any current offers that are available to the general public, even after you book your trip. I monitor for discounts very carefully for my clients using my Price-Watch system.

Does Disney World offer student discounts?

Yes, student rates are available but only when participating in an Imagination Campus program.

Can airfare be included for my group?

Disney World no longer has a group air department but the airlines do! If your group is flying from the same airport, the airlines will block out seats on the planes. Most airlines will do this up to a year in advance. The group reservations department at American Airlines and jetBlue are known to be especially helpful.

If members of your group are flying to Orlando from different airports, they should book on their own to get the best available fares. I provide helpful airfare tips in my article, How to Save on Orlando Flights.

How do we travel as a group around Walt Disney World?

Disney transportation to the theme parks and Disney Springs is complimentary.

Disney buses do not stop at ESPN Wide World of Sports so if you’re attending an event there, your group will need to arrange private transportation. If you’re attending the UCD / UDA Dance and Cheer Championships at Walt Disney World, they usually have shuttles running between ESPN and select Disney resorts, usually the Disney’s All Star Resorts. Multi-passenger vans can also be rented from an onsite Alamo Rent A Car office.

What do I need to start planning with you?

To get started it would be very helpful if have the following information:

• Travel dates

• Approximate number of travelers

• Approximate number of rooms needed (must be 10 or more)

• Breakdown of how many adults, children, ages of children will be in each room.

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Take the first step towards planning your event by sharing a few preliminary details ▸