Have you heard about “Togethering?” It’s something you probably already do, but as a travel trend, it was first noted by savvy pollsters Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell in late 2003. The YPB&R survey revealed that almost eight out of ten active leisure travelers in the United States took at least one vacation with an average of seven people, usually extended family, other families or friends, during the past five years.

Expert Peter C. Yesawich saw it this way: "Family vacations in America are now viewed as 'mini-reunions' and an occasion on which to 'reunite' family and friends, even if only for a few days." He notes that of all the respondents who “togethered” in the recent past, 82% spent leisure travel time with extended family, 68% spent it with friends, and 46% spent it with other families.

Disney hasn’t been in the family entertainment business for almost 50 years without learning something, and perhaps that is why Orlando’s Walt Disney World (WDW) has been cited in various surveys as the Number 1 “dream” family reunion destination. Keeping its eye on a new prize, Disney soon launched Magical Gatherings, its own initiative to assist groups of eight or more in planning their next WDW vacation.

Making Your Reunion Magical

Using Disney's online travel tools, start at www.disneyworld.com and visit the Travel Section. Then, under Group Travel, you will see a link for Magical Gatherings.  With their software, families can set up an email list to keep reunion group members informed of plans; create polls and checklists of various entertainment options so that family members can rank their interests; connect with others through a chat room while at the same time browsing the Disney site to compare notes; and create an itinerary viewable by all participants so that everyone can help with the planning. Every family member can use the site's "My DisneyVacation" link to review the latest attractions, select the ones that sound like the most fun for your group, then have the site mail you back a customized map of each theme park featuring your selected rides. Sound complicated? You’ll have to register on the site (it’s free), but Disney has enlisted Tinkerbell, an online “Help” wizard, to make it easy and fun. So, not only do you get reunion planning expertise, you’ll also sharpen your computer skills!

The magicians at WDW have also created a number of special events open only to groups of eight or more (children must be at least 3-years-old to qualify in your headcount) such as special character breakfasts; a Safari Celebration Dinner at the Tusker House Restaurant in Animal Kingdom following your own guided Jeep safari; a sailboat cruise to see Magic Kingdom’s “Wishes” fireworks show and more.

Although there’s a separate fee for each of these events and other groups of eight or more will partake alongside you, the little bit extra accorded each Magical Gathering – for example, having your international supper at Epcot followed by a dessert buffet in a VIP viewing area while the evening IllumiNations fireworks and laser show lights up the sky overhead – makes it the perfect centerpiece of a reunion honoring a big anniversary or birthday.

Where to House Your Family Reunion

In general, Orlando, Florida is a good reunion destination because air service is frequent and available from almost every corner of the globe. With so much competition for the market, airfares are reasonable year-round. Additionally, the on-site WDW hotels provide more than 31,000 hotel rooms at rates ranging from $100/N and up depending on season, so family members seeking pampering can stay at the Grand Floridian and host everyone for tea; while campers pitch a tent or rent a cute, Old West style log cabin at the Fort Wildnerness resort; and newlyweds check into the value-minded Pop Century resort, whose towering Play-Doh tin and other oversize icons of pop culture provide décor for the modestly furnished rooms and central food court. Some families may prefer Disney’s condo-style resorts like the new Saratoga Springs, where relatives can gather for breakfast or other meals in their own home-like units.

A key advantage of staying at a WDW Resort is the ability to enter a designated park one hour earlier than the public each day. If your reunion group wants to linger over breakfast, then this perk may not hold much value; however, if you’re traveling with early-bird preschoolers, choosing a resort within the enormous parks will give you a head start on a typically short day. Try to book a resort on the monorail line (buses, ferries and trams shuttle guests around at a much slower rate) so you’ll be able to return there for regular naps. And remember, though the WDW hotels may cost more than others outside the park, you’ll save on a rental car.

If you prefer not to stay at an on-site WDW resort, the Nickelodeon Family Suites Hotel by Holiday Inn (www.nickhotel.com), with its themed two to four-bedroom units and enormous zero entry swimming pools with water features, is a wonderful alternative and very good value.

Acknowledging Everyone’s Interests

One of the biggest assets at WDW is the sheer variety of recreation. Magic Kingdom, source of the magic for most young children, boasts strolling character figures who give out autographs, hugs and pose for pictures. Mickey’s Philharmagic is the ultra-Disney-character evening event that goes on nightly here. At Epcot, in addition to the World Showcase pavilions hosted by 11 countries, exhibits such as Test Track and the Mission Space simulator ride have the right combination of cutting edge technology and thrills to engage adults and older children. Disney's Hollywood Studios, formerly known as Disney's MGM Studios, is the park’s answer to Universal Studios Florida, but with more emphasis on family fare than on box office punch and stunt shows (there’s some of that, too). Strolling characters, 3D movies and gentle rides are based on Buzz Lightyear and other heroes from “Toy Story,” and “Fantasia,” “The Little Mermaid” and “Bear in the Big Blue House.”

The newest theme park, Animal Kingdom, has matured well since my family’s early visit, with a dazzling array of African animals now living comfortably in central Florida, strolling outside the deluxe Animal Kingdom Lodge and easily tolerating the action-packed Kilimanjaro Safari tour. Within this park’s elaborately carved, 14-story Tree of Life is a theater showing an imaginative, interactive 3D film based on “A Bug’s Life” that will give adults the creepy-crawlies, too. Especially popular here and appreciated by all ages, no matter how fearful, is the log-flume-style Kali River Rapids ride.

With so much to see and so little time, WDW has developed other technologies to ease your theme park phobias. Fastpass, Disney’s reserve-a-ride system, enables you to avoid lines by choosing a return time slot and punching your ticket at kiosks set up outside most attractions. Pal Mickey is a child-focused audioguide to all the parks’ attractions and showtimes that bears an uncanny resemblance to our favorite rodent.

Disney has also created two fantastic water parks – the snow-themed Blizzard Beach and the tropical-island-style Typhoon Lagoon – which are very cool(ing) but not worth the extra fee unless you have at least a half-day and plenty of warm weather to enjoy them. Beyond the theme parks, you’ll find five top-quality golf courses that reserve tee times and shuttle service for on-site WDW hotel guests; rental equipment for power boating, sailing, wakeboarding, bicycling, tennis and other sports at the various hotels.

At night, most of the WDW hotels offer a kids camp or private babysitting service so that adults can try the clubs and nightlife at Pleasure Island or try their luck on the dizzying array of video games at the five-level DisneyQuest arcade. Downtown Disney has an attractive branch of Wolfgang Puck’s where all family members can dine together, and a purpose-built theatre for “La Nouba,” an incredibly original combination of gymnastics, dance and music from Cirque du Soleil. Some families may not want to buy tickets at Broadway prices for exhausted little ones, but I guarantee a performance by this Montreal-based avant garde circus will astonish spectators of all ages.

Organizational Tips for Reunion Planners

The folks at WDW have designed a Vacation Planning Kit (order it free of charge) with a DVD about the resorts’ attractions, information about special events and dining, and brochures to help you put it all together. Once your family has agreed to a WDW reunion, you can start working with your travel agent, call 407/W-DISNEY to work with a Disney reservations agent, or visit the website at and download the online planning kit.

The experienced folks at Disney suggest you start by finalizing who is coming to the reunion, and make notes on their ages and any special needs. (By the way, Disney has a lot of programs for the-mobility impaired or other handicaps). Timing is everything. You can begin to select a date by focusing on one of the many special events or seasonal festivals being celebrated at WDW, or discuss the family’s schedule and, when dates are set, decide how long everyone will stay. All of this information should be circulated back through your group so that everyone can research which accommodations they prefer.

Once hotels are booked, you can select your WDW admissions passes. Although the economical Park Hopper Plus tickets enable you to visit every theme and water park for 5, 6, or 7 days, most families won’t have the stamina to accomplish this.  Especially if you’re traveling in the hot and humid Florida summer, discuss how much time you can be out in the sun, and how much time you’d like to spend together at your hotel, or at the beach, touring the Everglades or taking in another attraction. When it comes to the WDW theme parks, plan your stay so that no more than two theme parks are scheduled on any given day, or you’ll waste a lot of time traveling between them.

Ready? Set? Start doing your research. Each season, WDW puts together a number of packages incorporating theme park admission with on-site hotels and other perks that make for an unforgettable – dare we say “magical” – gathering.