Some of the disadvantages I guess depend on the size of the lodge room. The larger the mass groups receiving a degree the less room you have to do the walking around. In our lodge room for OES, we have done a group of five, the ceremony just takes longer because you are having to ensure everyone is lined up before an officer can say their part. I am finding that the smaller the group, the more fluidity the ceremony has and the stronger the impact the candidate will have through the degree. In Amaranth, I had an individual that was also initiated with me, it was nice having another person to walk with through the experience, however, any more than two would have been difficult to manage in the lodge room. I guess it depends on the purpose of the mass initiation of candidates or not. I find the more officers have to perform the initiation, the more they feel comfortable saying their parts which eventually leads to the officers knowing their work without their books. When officers can say parts without their books it makes the ceremony that much more impressive.