Spring Break vs. Summer - A teacher's dilemma

[psu1978]

As an education student (at the ripe young age of 42) I know that I will now be faced with the dilemma of when to go. I can't go when school is in session, so.....which is the lesser of two evils...spring break or summer?

I am looking for any advice, tips, horror stories. Thanks for the input!!!:Pinkbounc

[Cindy B]

I'm an education student as well, (at the ripe old age of 32!), and I work in the school district as an aide/ sometimes sub.

We go in August. In fact we are leaving in a few days. We are in the northeast, so school starts later for me and my kids.

The southern schools go back earlier, so it isn't as crowded late August, but then you have to contend with Labor Day.

Some people are saying its hot, but its hot here as well. I might as well enjoy it with palm trees there...


My DH has gone during spring break (not I) and he said its better in August crowd wise.

We are kicking around the idea of going in November around Thanksgiving maybe next year.. i do have some personal /vacation days with my job.

[Geoff_M]

This year my wife (teacher) and I did a 2nd honeymoon trip the day after she got out for the school year. We left home June 11 and flew back on the 16th. It wasn't bad at all. Nowhere near Spring Break levels. There seems to be a short break between when schools get out and when people head to Florida. Others that were at WDW shortly after we got home reported that the flood gates had opened.

[funhouse8]

Are you off in Jan. for winter break. that is when i'm going with my college age children.

[scanmom]

we have never been in summer, but we have gone on spring break. (ours is always the 3rd week of march. It always includes St. Patricks day!). It was very nice with fairly low crowds and nice weather. Not dead crowds like in Jan., but about 20 min. wait tops with fastpasses for the most popular rides. ;)

[gschmerl]

It depends on the timing of your spring break. Ours is always the week leading up to Easter. I've been to WDW twice during that time and this year tried July. The crowds during Easter week were MUCH worse than the summer crowds.

[stacy6552]

We have been in the summer and at spring break. Summer summer summer is the way to go.

Want to know why? Of course you do! Its the crummy service! Not from Disney. No they handle everything just great. They crowds were manageable and so was the heat. NO its everyone elses service. The planes were all over booked so not only do you run the risk of not getting on the plane, they dont care if they offend you because someone else is ready to take the seat. Same goes for cars......everything else non-disney.

Plus as soon as we got back, Disney came out with that cool Fairytale package for the summer, which is when more discount can be found.

SUMMMMMMER

[uktigger]

hi stacy6552
i take it you like going in the summer:D what months do you class as summer,we are going end june mid july and i am worried about the crowds,are they that bad or is it down to how each person handles the crowds:D

thanks eve:D

[cboudre1]

Spring break

The weather is so much nicer during Spring break. As long as you go in the parks early you can manage the crowds.

[elemusing]

I have been teaching for 10 years. During that span, we have been to WDW in May, June, March (for spring break), and October (for fall break.) My favorite time to go out of all those months in the very last week of May. Sometimes we get lucky enough to get out of school by then and it is fabulous! My second fav time to go was the time we went in October for fall break. THe only drawback to that itme is the shorter park hours and it felt a bit too chilly for me to swim at night.

I HATED GOING OVER SPRING BREAK!!!!! There were middle school and high school cheerleading, band, softball, etc. groups there and they scream on everything and are pushy. This is a time when I want to get away from all that in school. ha ha

We will never go on spring break again.

Angie

[grimgrinnin]

My wife is a school teacher - add another to the 'Never on Spring Break Again' colum. We went on Spring Break '02, which was the week before Easter. Weather was nice, but the crowds were unimaginable. Two to three hour waits for the mountains. FP times 6 hours into the future. Ugh...


We also went 4th of July in '02. Although it was crowded, it was no where near as bad as Spring Break. The strategies talked about in these forums worked well (get there early, use FP, take a mid-day breack, etc...).

We're probably going to go back 4th of July 2004 we had such a great time.

grim

[Pryncess'mom]

I teach in NJ and we usually go late August. As Cindy B said, southern schools are already back in session, and some northern ones as well. We have a good time, crowds are ok, and it's not any hotter or more humid than at home. During Spring Break, kids are usually there and in the summer many have jobs, go back to college early, etc..... We have also gone in Nov, during Jersey week (NJ teachers convention). We will probably not go then again, too crowded! And elemusing had it right, we vacation to get away from kids!!!:) LOL


Deb:earsgirl:

[Pinnie]

Teacher here, too, and I say BOTH!!!:)

I have done Easter week the past 2 years and don't miind the crowds at all. The weather was picture perfect I just got back from WDW/Vero Beach last week and it was HOT and it was rainy. Crowds were managable. We did an e-ticket night on Friday and we found that one to be very crowded compared to other e-ticket nights in the past. I was also down the weekend after Father's day and again, it poured rain the whole time, but that kept the crowds down.

We have APs and go down about 4 - 5 times a year to our DVC "home" so if we think the crowds are unmangable, we just head back to our resort to swim or veg.


pin

[Bill From PA]

We've done Spring Break twice in the past and will again in '04, the first full week in March. The crowds seem moderate to me when using early entry to hit the popular rides in the morning. We usually tour the EE park until it gets crowded, usually about 1 pm., then hop to Epcot. This has been a successful plan for us for a number of years now.

Bill From PA

[psu1978]

WOW!!! Thanks for so many replies!!!

It looks like summer over spring break by a small margin. We went last year 2nd week in December...it rained and was a little chilly, but not a line in sight and the decorations were fantastic. That option will no longer be available for us, but if it was I would do it again.

Our spring break is always the week after Easter, so that sounds like it would not be a good time to go. Our schools let out the second week of June (of course you never know about those extra snow days) and we return the week before Labor day. Therefore, we would be looking at the 3rd week of June or the 2nd or 3rd week of August. What do you think would be better???

Again, thanks for such a great response!!!:Pinkbounc

[swilphil]

I'd go the third week in August. Many schools are back in session in the south and the midwest. You might want to see if you can find out how busy the week AFTER spring break is. I know the week before is the worst, but I'm not sure about the week after. This year that will be in mid/late April, so it would be a nice time to go. If you are thinking about coming years, you might want to stay away from the times Easter falls in March. That would be a double whammy.

[bobcat]

I have never been during spring break but have visited during summer for the past few years and really like summer. I've gone in both Mid August and this year the last two weeks of July and while it can be hot the crowds were never too bad.

[travelbug]

I would ALWAYS choose spring break over summer, because I can manage large crowds much better than I can cope with the heat and humidity. I've been to WDW over Easter week (the week AFTER Easter) numerous times over the years. The key to managing the crowds is to arrive as early as possible to get on as many popular attractions as you can before the larger crowds arrive. Then use Fastpasses while hitting some of the less popular things in between.

If staying on property, it also works great to take a break for the afternoon to swim, nap, shop, or whatever. Then if you return for the evening (parks are open very late for Easter week), the crowds get lighter, especially after fireworks, etc. are over.

For you, it may boil down to deciding which is the "lesser of two evils" - the heat or the crowds. For me, I pick crowds over heat any time, while others would choose the heat.

Do you have any other winter break or school vacation when you might consider a visit? I LOVED going in Jan. and Feb. of this year. The weather wasn't always great (cold for us in Jan. and cloudy/drizzly for us in Feb.), but the small crowds were absolutely wonderful. Such a nice relaxing way to do the parks! :o

Congratulations on becoming a teacher! We need more good teachers in this world. I wish you well in your new job! :D

[LeeAnn]

A bit off the topic...

An education student (at the ripe young age of 42 & 32)...

What has made you decide to get into education at this point in your lives?

I'm 31 and contemplating becoming a teacher. Ever since I had my daughter 7 months ago, my priorities have changed and I would like to spend more time with her.

I have worked in IT (7yrs) and Sales (3 ys) for the past 10 years and not satisfied with it. Had requested to work 4 days (still full time hours) and was denied. This had upset me and has caused me to think about the future.

I think teaching will give me the best schedule to be with my daughter. Although I didn't realize I would have give up Disney during school. :-) I think I would aim for late Aug.

I will be staying home w/ daughter as of Sept. How difficult is it to become certified? How long is it taking you?

Thanks for any input.

[Kitty 34]

We tried spring break twice........too crowded! Then we tried the 2nd week of June (right after our shool gets out).........a LOT better. It's hot but there's many things you can do to battle the heat.

So I say, go right when school gets out.:cool:

[Crazy4mandms]

LeeAnn...I also just graduated with a BS in Education at the "ripe" age of 35! I love the idea of having so much time off for my kids, HOWEVER, remember the real focus here....being in a classroom full of kids everyday and being responsible for their education is not an easy task (despite the fact that some people say teachers are overpaid and underworked!). I'm not trying to discourage you, but before you put all your energy into it, if you haven't already, why not try volunteering in a classroom for a few days or even coaching a sports team, leading a scout den, etc just so you get the "feel" of what its like to work with kids. My kids are 7 and 11 and that is exactly what I've done since my older one was born so by the time I decided that teaching was for me I had already worked with kids in a volunteer capacity for several years and was POSITIVE that it's where I wanted to be!! Also, remember that teaching jobs are hard to come by depending on where you live. Here in NY there is NOTHING but layoffs, but down South they are hiring by the dozens!! Good luck!!

[fan_of_wdw]

Before discounting Spring Break, do your homework... DD and I have been at OUR spring break and had a terrific time... CM's said that park was at about 1/3 capacity. Spring Break could be any of about 6 to 8 different weeks, depending on what part of the country you live in. Ours is about a MONTH before Easter.

[swilphil]

LeeAnn--I returned to school to become a teacher after I graduated with a journalism degree and worked as a newspaper reporter. It took me about 1 1/2 years to get my high school certification in English and Journalism. That included one full semester of student teaching. It would have taken longer to get my elementary certification. You may be able to do it in even less time with on-line courses.

I do agree with the other poster that the main reason to go into teaching is because you have a passion for the profession. I was also attracted to the schedule, thinking (falsely) that I was going to travel a lot in the summers when I was single. I also liked the fact that I would be able to continue taking classes. I love going to school as a student as much as I love teaching. Really the only way to get a salary increase is get your masters plus additional graduate hours.

I actually took a leave of absence after my second child was born. I found teaching to be both mentally and physically exhausting, so at the end of the day I was too tired to enjoy my son. I taught part-time, which is wonderful, when my oldest turned one. I couldn't afford two in day care on a part time salary. I do plan to return to teaching when my kids are in school.

You might want to look into IT jobs in the school districts, too.

[ncligs]

Definately summer. But we always go President's week and summer.http://www.wdwinfo.com/sites/family/biggthumpup.gif

[CK1]

A vote here for August, but it does depend upon what you want to do!

We've done WDW in Oct, Dec, Jan, April, July and August.l It can be just as hot in June as August, lemme tell you. And it can be nice in Dec or Jan... or it can be cooollld! (Even by my northerly standards! I'm not a Polar Bear Club Member... if I can see my breath, it's too cold to swim!)Due to kids' schedules, etc., last trip we made was in August. I thought, "Truly, we are NUTS. AUgust? What are we thinking?" We went mid-August (11 to 22). And honestly, it was great! DH and I both felt the crowds were somewhere in-between mid-december (very low low crowds) and DEFNITELY less than July or April. THe kids loved it because the pools felt sooooo good!

One note -- in the 2nd week of August, crowds are moderate and park hrs are long. In the 3rd week, crowds drop BUT so do the hrs. Take a look at this yrs schedule to get an idea.

We liked Aug so much, we're doing it again next yr for a total of 14 days... gluttons for punishment, maybe, but we love the pools, water parks, and how it fits in with our otherwise packed school / sports scheduled lives!

[psu1978]

Everyone has given me so much to think about! Because our only spring break coincides with Easter, I am thinking that it may be better to do the summer thing...probably the 2nd or 3rd week of August to avoid the kids summer sports.

I like the idea of cooler weather over spring break, but I'm just not sure we could take the holiday crowds. Our last trip was the 2nd week of December and their were no lines. It rained and was cool, but we were easily able to do everything we wanted without waiting. If that was an option for us....I would do it again.

Thanks for all the great ideas.

[5dizneynutz]

Spring Break, better weather!!!