How do other families do it?

[Tigpooh]

I was just thinking about how busy the week looks when our family is going to Disney and I was wondering, how does everyone do it? I have seen loads of families, with school age kids going the week before Thanksgiving and other weeks in Nov., early Dec. We are a homeschooling family so I try to work our vacation around other schools schedules, to hopefully go when crowds are lower. This is our first time going in Nov, we usually go in Sept. Anyway, does everyone pull their kids from school to go? Do other schools routinely give the wk before Thanksgiving off? Is it mostly visitors outside of the U.S. visiting? I'm certainly not trying to complain, I just wondered how best to schedule our vacation or if it really matters other than avoiding major holidays.

 

[disneydaydreamer33]

We pull our kids out of school for a week at Disney. We may have to stop doing that once DS9 is in middle school, but for now I feel OK about doing that so we can vacation at our ideal time (early Feb.)

 

[cart-mom]

We go usually right before labor day. Our kids aren't back in school yet here in Philly (except this year with the pope coming) . Ds will miss two half days. Hasn't affected my other kids when we did it before. DH works for ups so we will probably never get to visit during Christmas but we don't like crowds anyway. So many schools have so many different schedules these days. Two of my teens do cyber high school but they are staying home this trip. They've been to see so many times they just aren't interested in going this time. Saves me money. But will cost me grey hairs I'm sure.

 

[InStitchesinNE]

We are going the week before winter break, when honestly very little work is done anyways. There are parties and crafts, polar express movie day, and the holiday concert. While they may miss all this fun stuff, I know they'd rather be at Disney!

 

[crostorfer]

We had to shorten our fall trips into long weekends, rather than week long excursions, now that our kiddo is in middle school. I'm ok with my 7th grader missing 2 or 3 days of school, a whole week is a bit much now. After going over fall break last year, and dealing with that awful crowd, we're eating 3 days of perfect attendance and going the first weekend in October rather than the second. Its worth it, crowd level and sanity wise.

 

[danny1649]

I would say that with good planning, you can have a good vacation, Disney has provided tools you can use such as ADR's ,FP plus,etc. At any time you want, yes I believe that.

 

[Tigpooh]

I quite agree with you, but we personally prefer lower crowds and work to go when they are expected to be lower.

 

[kangamangus]

Yes we pull them out for a week, it has not been an issue in our school district. Other parts of the country have very strict attendance rules and kids can end up in truancy court. Fortunately we have more lenient rules.

 

[caroline1851]

I don't have my kids miss more than 3 days of school for a vacation so I take them out around scheduled days off.

 

[danny1649]

Good discussion on good topic,good exchange of different views. Great job fellow Disers, just because I post something doesn't mean you can't disagree with me. I just offer my opinion which carries no more weight than yours. i only step in when posting guidelines sre violated. To disagree with me is not a violation. .

 

[epcotty]

I grew up in Fl 2 1/2 hours away from WDW and noone in any of my schools went there for an entire week (or close to it) during the school year. Amazing that some do, it'd be a lot of work to make up

 

[sug78]

We pull our kids out every year to go to WDW- I believe it's an educational vacation so I don't feel bad about it at all

 

[Disneychick75]

Our state has had Thanksgiving week off since I was in school in the 1960's so Our Fall trips always took place at that time. Schools were finished by the end of May and our End of school trips were at that time. Usually at Easter, we'd go somewhere besides Disney because it was terribly crowded.
The week before Thanksgiving has traditionally been one of low crowds.

 

[kmb584]

I take my daughter out for a week in early November.

 

[broncobill]

We have pulled our daughter out of school for a Disney vacation before. We just let the school know a head of time and they give her the homework to take with us.
It's pretty easy for us to do because our daughter does great in school.

 

[Nancyg56]

WE pulled our DGD when she was in elementary school and all of us are glad that we did. This was the only way her Dad could vacation with her and my DD. Once Kady hit middle school we took a week after Thanksgiving, and we never did it again. She caught up, but she struggled, so that was it for that.

This year we chose the week before schools starts, and DD had to promise DGD that she would have all her school shopping completed, and that DGD would have time to be organized before we left home before the poor kid relaxed.

 

[JennyDrake]

There are LOTS of homeschoolers out there (I was one!) and many school systems are on year round school with breaks every 6-8 weeks.

 

[GrumpyDad1974]

DD went to year round school K-5 (which was awesome) since then we have been tethered to the school calender we won't take her out to school. Not judging but we just wouldn't do it, she would miss to much.

 

[nat8199]

We are pulling our kids out of school for a week this year and will probably do it again in 2018, but that will be it. After that DD will be in middle school, so we will have to go during school breaks (if we go again).

 

[aretha30]

I'm a teacher so we are stuck going by my districts school calendar. We wouldn't pull our kids out of school though even if I wasn't though. I was the kid who struggled when I missed a few days for illness and I would hate to think that for a trip to Disney at lower crowd times I did that to one of my kids. My oldest is the kid who wouldn't blink at missing a month of school, would be caught up in a heartbeat but our youngest not so much, he is much more like me. I wish all schools would go to a year round calendar, that way we could go during cooler times of the year. So for now we head down in August (leaving in 2 days!) right before school starts and we are good with that. I don't think there is a right or wrong answer here, just what is best for your family